Magnetism
In simple terms, magnetism is the phenomenon that occurs when two opposite poles attract, thus making the two items stick to each other. For example, think about what happens when you stick a magnet on the refrigerator. It sticks, right? This is because the two opposite poles were brought side by side. The opposite will happen when you take two magnets and try to force the same poles together. For example, if you take the positive side of one magnet and try to bring it together with the positive side of another magnet, it just won’t work. The two sides will repel each other. But magnetism goes so much deeper than that. There is electromagnetism which has all kinds of useful applications. One such example is that there are some trains that run on electromagnetism.
If you want to learn about magnetism, there are some things you can do. First of all, most kids in school have at least a basic knowledge of magnets and magnetism. Their teachers usually have them do experiments with iron filings and magnets to see how the magnets affect the way the iron filings behave. They also have the students do things such as try to bring to sides of the same charge together and observe what happens. If you need a review about magnetism, such experiments are a good place to start. However, if you want to delve even deeper in the subject, you can look online and in the encyclopedia for a good overview an then figure out how far you want to take your knowledge. Electromagnetism, for example, is a little more advanced than basic magnetism.
If you have kids you can take what you know about magnetism and work with them to try and understand it. You can get a basic science experiment book and do some of the experiments with them. They will enjoy spending time with you while also learning something. This is the type of activity that is not only valuable for parents who are home schooling their children, but it can also be used as a supplement to your child’s education if they are going to school outside of the home. That way it benefits everyone.
