Hans Christian Oersted had just discovered the connection between electricity and magnetism. Meanwhile, a French physicist named André-Marie Ampère was experimenting with some wires, trying to learn more about the connection between...

Some astronauts have reported the same specific symptoms: they see mysterious flashes of light out of the corner of their eyes. What causes those bizarre phenomena, and how does it affect astronauts?

Is it in the Arctic Ocean? In Canada? Russia?

Magnetic Levitation

In this video Paul Andersen explains how magnetic domains act as tiny magnets within ferromagnetic material.

Though our Sun is something we can count on to rise and set each day, it also comes with some phenomena that can catch us by surprise: solar winds. To better predict when these winds will travel all the way to Earth, we sent the Parker...

You might have heard that Earth is due for a complete flip of its magnetic field. And while our planet does have a history of this behavior, predictions of when it might happen are too complex to estimate a date for.

In this episode of Crash Course Physics, Shini talks to us about how power gets to our homes. It's kind of amazing when you think about it and much more complicated than it may seem!

In this video Paul Andersen explains how a vector field shows the distribution of vector quantities. In AP Physics 1 student should be able to map and understand gravitational vector fields. In AP Physics 2 students should be able to...

Everyone does it -- using oil, that is. But how much do we have left? How do scientists find it? And where are they looking for it now that the easiest pickings have been taken? Hank has the answers to the how, why and how...

From a blacksmith's son, to one of the most repeated names in physics textbooks, Michael Faraday epitomized the spirit of scientific exploration

There is an invisible shell of radiation surrounding our planet that can wipe out satellites and could endanger future explorers. One possible solution to this problem? Good, old-fashioned radio waves.

In this video Paul Andersen explains how current moving through a loop of wire can act as an analog for a magnetic dipole. Magnetic dipoles (like compass needles) respond to magnetic fields created by other magnets.

The geographic north pole doesn't always line up with the magnetic north pole, but what do scientists know about this flipping field?

In this episode of Crash Course Physics, Megneto helps Shini explain what induction is, how it works, and why magnetism is so seemingly complicated.

In this video Paul Andersen details the characteristics of electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves that can move through both mediums and vacuums. The electric and magnetic fields oscillate perpendicular to...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how current moving through a wire will generate a magnetic field tangent to the wire. As the current increases the magnetic field will increase and as the radius from the wire increase the magnitude...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how a magnetic force arises when magnets or moving electric charges interact with one another. A magnetic dipole will orient towards a magnetic field. When an electric charge is moving it will...

In this video Paul Andersen explains how all material has magnetic properties. Ferromagnetic material can be permanently magnetized, paramagnetic material will align with magnetic fields, and diamagnetic material will align weakly with...

The perfect balance of radioactive elements inside planets like ours might make it habitable, and researchers are challenging some ideas about how Mars is losing its water.

Magnets are amazingly strong... but there's a very easy way to destroy them. All you need to know is a little bit about ferromagnetism, paramagnetism, and temperature!

In this video Paul Andersen explains how a charge particle will experience a magnetic force when it is moving through a magnetic field. The right-hand rule is described as a method for determining the direction of the force. The...

Hank tells us about new research into the question of how animals navigate from place to place - while the problem is still unresolved, we do have some hypotheses, and they all involve something called "magnetoreception."

You’re probably familiar with the basics of magnets already: They have a north pole and a south pole. Two of the same pole will repel each other, while opposites attract. Only certain materials, especially those that contain iron, can be...