De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure (On the Magnet and Magnetic Bodies, and on That Great Magnet the Earth) is a scientific work published in 1600 by the English physician and scientist William Gilbert. Magnetic lines of force of a bar magnet shown by iron filings on paper A magnet is an object that has a magnetic field. ... Events January January 1 - Scotland adopts January 1st as being New Years Day February February 17 - Giordano Bruno burned in a stake for heresy July July 2 - Battle of Nieuwpoort: Dutch forces under Maurice of Nassau defeat Spanish forces under Archduke Albert in a battle on the coastal dunes. ... William Gilbert (or William Gylberde) born May 24, 1544, Colchester, England died of bubonic plague December 10, 1603, London? English physician to Elizabeth I and James I and scientific researcher into magnetism and electricity. ...

In this work Gilbert describes many of his experiments with his model earth called the terrella. From the experiments, he concluded that the Earth was magnetic and that this was why the compass pointed north (previously, it was thought that it was Polaris or a large magnetic island at the North Pole that attracted the compass). In his book, he also studied static electricity produced using amber; amber is called elektron in Greek, electrum in Latin, so Gilbert decided to call the phenomenon by the adjective electricus and the noun electricitas. These terms gave rise to the English words 'electric' and 'electricity'. From Latin ex- + -periri (akin to periculum attempt). ... Categories: Stub ... Earths magnetic field (the surface magnetic field) is approximately a magnetic dipole, with one pole near the geographic north pole and the other near the geographic south pole. ... This article is about the navigational instrument. ... Polaris or Cynosura (α UMi / α Ursae Minoris / Alpha Ursae Minoris) is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor. ... A North Pole is the northernmost point on any planet. ... Static electricity or electrostatics is a field of science and a class of phenomena involving the imbalanced charge present on an object, typically referring to charge with voltage of sufficient magnitude to produce visible attraction, repulsion, and sparks. ... AMBER (an acronym for Assisted Model Building and Energy Refinement) is a force field for molecular dynamics originally developed by Peter Kollmans group in the University of California, San Francisco. ... Electricity is a property of certain subatomic particles (e. ...

De Magnete was influential not only because of its subject matter, but also for the rigorous way in which Gilbert described his experiments. Although his thinking was heavily influenced by the mysticism of his time, Gilbert was also one of the pioneers of experimental physics. Mysticism (ancient Greek mysticon = secret) is the pursuit or discovery of what is believed to be the direct experience of union with divinity, God, or Ultimate Reality; or the belief that such experience is a genuine and important source of knowledge. ...

Summary

De Magnete consists of six books.

1. Historical survey of magnetism, and theory of Earth's magnetism.
2. Distinction between electricity and magnetism. Argument against perpetual motion.
3. The terrella experiments.
4. Declination (the variation of magnetic north with location).
5. Magnetic dip. Design of magnetic inclinometer.
6. Magnetic theory of stellar and terrestrial motion. Precession of the equinox.

This article or section should include material from Parallel Path See also Perpetuum mobile as a musical term Perpetual motion machines (the Latin term perpetuum mobile is not uncommon) are a class of hypothetical machines which would produce useful energy in a way science cannot explain (yet). ... The magnetic declination (or magnetic variation) at any point on the earth is an angle that must be added or subtracted in converting between two kinds of directional information: the direction of the needle on a magnetic compass located there, and the direction of the earths lines of longitude. ... Dip can have many meanings: In the context of geology: Stratigraphic dip is defined as the maximum angle from the horizontal in the plane of a stratigraphic unit. ... An inclinometer is an instrument for measuring inclination. ... Precession (also called gyroscopic precession) is the phenomenon by which the axis of a spinning object (e. ... Illumination of Earth by Sun on the day of equinox In astronomy, an equinox is defined as the moment when the sun reaches one of two intersections between the ecliptic and the celestial equator. ...

Editions

• De Magnete, Peter Short, London, 1600 (original Latin)
• De Magnete, English translation by Paul Fleury Mottelay, 1893
• De Magnete, translation by Silvanus P Thompson, Chiswick Press, 1900
• De Magnete, facsimile of Thompson translation, Basic Books, New York, 1958
• De Magnete, facsimile of Mottelay translation, Dover Books, 1991, ISBN 048626761X

References

• Review by Stuart Malin and David Barraclough
• Cambridge Scientific Minds, chapter on Gilbert (PDF) - available in print as ISBN 0521781000 (hardback), ISBN 0521786126 (paperback)