Hidden Attraction: The History and Mystery of Magnetism (Oxford Paperbacks)

267 Pages·1996·11.54 MB·English

by  Gerrit L. Verschuur

HIDDEN ATTRACTION
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H I D D EN
A T T R A C T I ON
The History and Mystery
of Magnetism
GERRIT L. VERSCHUUR
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
New York Oxford
Oxford University Press
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Copyright © 1993 by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
First published in 1993 by Oxford University Press, Inc.,
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 1996
Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Verschuur, Gerrit L., 1937-
Hidden attraction : the mystery and history of magnetism /
by Gerrit L. Verschuur.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-506488-7
ISBN 0-19-510655-5 (pbk.)
1. Magnetism—Popular works.
2. Magnetism—History—Popular works.
3. Physicists—Popular works. I. Title.
QC753.5.V47 1993 538—dc20 92-37690
2 4 68 10 9 7 5 31
Printed in the United States of America
Preface
A glorious mix of drama, inspiration, insight, good and bad
judgment, hard work, and sometimes sheer luck mark the path
of scientific discovery. This is seldom more clearly illustrated
than in the quest to understand one of nature's most remark-
able phenomena, magnetism. The hidden source of its almost
magical powers of attraction has been sought for over two thou-
sand years. In this odyssey, creative human beings have moved
from superstition to certainty and synthesis, from an era when
answers to basic questions could only be imagined to the pres-
ent time, in which scientists are able to incorporate magnetism
into a great scheme of the basic forces in the universe. To see
how progress was made is to watch the evolution of a science.
And by recognizing how scientists moved from superstition to
synthesis, we are reminded a little of ourselves, as we struggle
to dig out from under the welter of beliefs and prejudices about
the ways of the world and strive for a clearer understanding of
the mystery of our existence. There is every indication that once
our curiosity is aroused, and given enough time, the human
intellect can and does discover the answers to its questions. How
this progress was manifested in the case of magnetism will be
the theme of Hidden Attraction.
The saga of discovery that led to the solution of the mystery
of magnetism began over two thousand years ago, when expla-
nations of natural phenomena could only take the form of be-
liefs rooted in fantasy. But then, after many centuries of blind
acceptance of such beliefs, skeptical and curious individuals be-
gan to challenge dogma and superstition, and their questioning
vi n PREFACE
slowly and inevitably led to experimentation. That turned out
to be the reliable way to get at the truth about the reality that
underlies appearance. The transition to experiment marked the
birth of the scientific era, about four hundred years ago.
I will argue that without the stunning progress made during
the last several centuries in understanding the nature of mag-
netism, our modern technological civilization would not yet have
come into existence. Every facet of the civilized world rests, ul-
timately, on the widespread availability of electricity to drive the
machines of industry. We would never have learned to produce
electricity if it were not for the profound insights that arose
from the study of magnetism. As a result of ever-deeper prob-
ing into the nature of reality, we have even learned to reach
out and sense magnetism between the stars.
Hidden Attraction concerns an adventure of the mind, and
these chapters have been conceived to trigger your imagination
and stimulate your curiosity. An adventure of discovery under-
lies all of science, something that is easily ignored, in large part
because of the mushrooming welter of facts that overflow the
time available for their communication. Those who make judg-
ments about what should be taught to stay "up-to-date" tend to
rule against the human and historical side of science. This is
sad. As a result, the curricula of our schools lose touch with the
dramatic and exciting roots of human thought.
Despite the presence of footnotes, which are offered for those
who wish to explore further, Hidden Attraction is not meant as a
definitive work of history. I have taken the liberty of touching
on only those incidents that I felt were important to the story.
Similarly, I have related something of the life of a few scientists
whose work seemed essential to progress in the quest that forms
our theme. In this context, I owe a debt of gratitude to the
many historians of science whose research reports provided fer-
tile territory into which I ventured to gather material for this
book.
I am indebted to several people, some anonymous, who read
early versions of this manuscript and made helpful suggestions.
I am particularly grateful to Mike Town for his comments and
encouragement, and for the careful reading and constructive
criticism by a student of science, Kim Hill. The encouragement
Preface fl vii
of my wife, Joan, and my editor, Jeffrey Robbins, is also deeply
appreciated. Finally, I dedicate this work to those young minds
who may be inspired by something they read here to pursue a
career in scientific exploration.
Lakeland, Tenn. G. L. V.
September 1992
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Contents
1. Of Mystery and Magnets, 3
2. Clearing the Decks, 19
3. On the Magnetical Philosophy, 31
4. Let the Experimentation Begin, 43
5. Oersted and Ampere:
The Birth of Electromagnetism, 55
6. Michael Faraday:
The Era of Discovery Personified, 73
7. Fields and Faraday, 93
8. Maxwell Sees the Light, 107
9. Heinrich Hertz's Grand Adventure, 125
10. Curiouser and Curiouser, 147
11. What If? 163
12. Magnetic Fields in Space, 183
13. The Spark That Bridged the Universe, 199
14. The Era of Creativity, 209
15. The Wages of Curiosity, 223
Appendix: The Pattern of Progress, 233
Index, 251