6 dictionary results for: magnetism
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
mag·net·ism
[mag-ni-tiz-uh
m] Pronunciation Key
[mag-ni-tiz-uh
m] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | the properties of attraction possessed by magnets; the molecular properties common to magnets. |
| 2. | the agency producing magnetic phenomena. |
| 3. | the science dealing with magnetic phenomena. |
| 4. | strong attractive power or charm: Everyone succumbed to the magnetism of his smile. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| mag·net·ism
(māg'nĭ-tĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n.
|
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| magnetism | |
noun | |
| 1. | attraction for iron; associated with electric currents as well as magnets; characterized by fields of force |
| 2. | the branch of science that studies magnetism |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
magnetism
(māg'nĭ-tĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
Our Living Language : Magnetism is intimately linked with electricity, in that a magnetic field is established whenever electric charges are in motion, as in the flow of electrons in a wire, or the movement of electrons around an atomic nucleus. In atoms, this invisible field consists of closed loops called lines of force that surround and run through the atom. Magnetic regions where lines of force come together densely are called north and south poles. In substances in which the magnetic fields of each atom are aligned, the magnetic field causes the entire substance to act like single magnet—with north and south poles and a surrounding magnetic field. Permanent magnets are made of substances that retain this alignment. If a magnet is cut in two, each piece becomes a separate magnet with two poles. A coil of wire wrapped around an iron core can be made magnetic by running electric current through it; the looping electrons then create a magnetic field in just the same way as the spinning electrons in individual atoms. As long as current flows, the coil remains magnetized. Such magnets, called electromagnets, are used in many devices such as doorbells and switches. The connection between electric and magnetic fields is not one of cause and effect, however. Einstein showed that both the magnetic and electric fields are part of a single electromagnetic field, described by a single mathematical object called a tensor. Observers in different reference frames will not observe the same separate values for electric and magnetic fields, but will observe identical electromagnetic tensors. Whether or not magnetic monopoles (elementary particles carrying an isolated north or south magnetic "charge," analogous to positive or negative electric charge) actually exist remains unknown; though they are predicted by some theories, none have been detected. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
magnetism
magnetism
A fundamental property of some materials (for example, iron) and electrical currents by which they are capable of exerting a force on magnets. (See electromagnet, magnet, and magnetic field.)
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Magnetism
Mag"net*ism\, n. [Cf. F. magn['e]tisme.] The property, quality, or state, of being magnetic; the manifestation of the force in nature which is seen in a magnet. 2. The science which treats of magnetic phenomena. 3. Power of attraction; power to excite the feelings and to gain the affections. "By the magnetism of interest our affections are irresistibly attracted." --Glanvill. Animal magnetism, a force, more or less analogous to magnetism, which, it has been alleged, is produced in animal tissues, and passes from one body to another with or without actual contact. The existence of such a force, and its potentiality for the cure of disease, were asserted by Mesmer in 1775. His theories and methods were afterwards called mesmerism, a name which has been popularly applied to theories and claims not put forward by Mesmer himself. See Mesmerism, Biology, Od, Hypnotism. Terrestrial magnetism, the magnetic force exerted by the earth, and recognized by its effect upon magnetized needles and bars.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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