Magnetism has long been one of the great mysteries of the world. It has gone for so long unexplained and although there has been a lot of progress in figuring out how magnetism works and what its caused by, it still isnt completely understood. There are many theories about magnetism, but there is still much more yet to be discovered about magnetism. In the future it will probably be easily understood, but none the less intriguing.Magnets have intrigued people for a long time; they were discovered long ago. Certain rocks and ores of iron called lodestones were found. These lodestones which were naturally magnetic rocks made of the mineral magnetite, were so mysterious to people that they caused many superstitions about themselves. One superstition was the belief that there were enormous lodestones rising out of the sea. Many sailors would not venture too far from land, believing that if they came too near one of these mountains the iron nails might be drawn out of their wooden ships. Another superstition about magnetism is an ancient Chinese legend that tells a tale about an Emperor Hwang-ti, who lived around 2600 BC. The story says that during a battle he was surrounded by thick fog. He managed to find his way through the thick fog by following a small pivoting figure with an outstretched arm attached to his chariot. The figure always pointed south because it had a loadstone embedded in its outstretched arm. Although it isnt known if this story is true, most scholars agree that the first compasses were made by the Chinese. The fascination people have for the mysterious lodestone has continued for centuries.The earliest investigators of magnetism regarded magnetic attraction as the main property of a magnet. They either ignored or were unaware of magnetic repulsion. Lucretius (99-55 BC), a roman poet and philosopher, was one of the first to observe that a loadstone or magnet stone could both attract and repel other magnets...
