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CrowdScience

How Do Magnets Work?

CrowdScience

BBC

Science

4.81K Ratings

🗓️ 20 July 2018

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This deceptively simple question from listeners Andy, Mike and James is actually one of the hardest questions CrowdScience has ever tackled. Why? Because even scientists struggle to explain the true nature of the magnetic force and to do so in a way that even presenter Marnie Chesterton can understand is a serious challenge. What is a magnet? And just what is going on when magnets exert a force?

With the help of Melanie Windridge, Sean Giblin, Steve Bramwell, Charlotte New and Peter Morris we attempt to navigate the oddities of one of the most fundamental phenomena in the universe.

(Image: A horseshoe magnet attracting some hammer nails. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0

Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix, the Science of

0:07.0

Happiness Podcast.

0:08.0

For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want

0:14.4

to share that science with you.

0:16.1

And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.

0:19.4

I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that

0:25.4

calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds.

0:30.3

So I'm not going to be able to give you an answer.

0:36.0

I can't explain in terms of anything else that's familiar to you.

0:47.0

You've probably got enough time to put it in at the top and then catch it at the bottom.

0:52.0

You do?

0:53.0

Oh, easy.

0:56.0

Another successful experiment. Hello I'm Marnie Chesterton and you're listening to Crowd Science on the BBC World Service. This is the show that takes your questions

1:15.0

about science and turns them into audio adventures. The BBC normally records the audio

1:20.9

on digital discs, but my voice, what you're hearing right now, we

1:26.0

decided to record on magnetic quarter inch tape, which is what we used to use back

1:31.0

in the good old days days before the internet and the

1:33.7

millennium and podcasts producers would edit the program with a razor blade and

1:39.4

sticky tape so I can make my voice repeat repeat repeat or slow down or speed up and because the tape is magnetic

1:51.4

I can also wipe it. Like this and say any old gubbins about how the

1:56.7

BBC should be... And you won't be able to hear, all because producer Al put a magnet next to this in the edit.

2:07.0

I wanted to show the power of magnets because we've been asked a few magnet questions which will be answering over the next half hour starting with this one. Hi Crowd Science, this is Andy Blackett from Northeast England asking how do

...

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