Unearthing The Mystery Of Earth Magnets

Perhaps when things fall down to the ground after being dropped it is because of the force of gravity, or perhaps all things bear a magnetic charge and are pulled back to the ground by earth magnets. Granted, gravity is the more likely answer. Few people are inclined to question good science that has been proven through the centuries. But new mysteries await uncovering, such as questions of what earth magnets are, and beckon us with fascinating answers.

Many applications have utilized Earth Magnets since the 1970s. Refrigerator magnets possess a magnetic field that is anemic compared to earth magnets, but an earth magnet's charged elements are so brittle that they are prone to flaking and are relatively useless unless their composition is strengthened with plating.


Also popularly known with the misleading moniker Rare Earth Magnets, the elements that comprise earth magnets are common: Samarium-cobalt and Neodymium are roughly as commonly occurring as lead or copper. These popular tools are quite useful and highly in demand; mining to keep a good stock of these magnets plays a significant role in the economy of many countries.

Apart from being popular novelty items, Nd and Sm-Co - or Samarium-cobalt and Neodymium - are utilized in such varied tools as bullet trains, computer hard drives, most cordless tools, cycling dynamos, and speakers and headphones. Sm-Co and Nd have for the most part replaced magnets of ferrite and alnico, which before the 1970s were the sole known magnetic elements. Apart from their use for display, these older magnets are now the rarer variety.

Computers have steadily been taking up less space, and the progress in reducing the physical dimensions of a computer's hard drives is predominately because of earth magnets. Progress in solid state hard drives means that magnets are less prominent in computer building, replacing spinning hard drives which depend on magnets, but magnets are still vital parts of numerous other fields.


Bullet trains are propelled using Nd magnets in a technological marvel known as Maglev, which is the swiftest moving land-based method of transportation used commercially. The tracks are quite efficient in their energy usage, making use of magnetic levitation. Although these trains are known for requiring a great deal of maintenance, they are welcomed as a staple of travel wherever they are in use thanks to their twin benefits of affordability and speed. Japan is the birthplace of these trains and the home of their greatest popularity. Such a train can attain speeds of greater than 300 mph, thanks to the assistance of magnets.


Just as transportation relies on magnets, so does entertainment by means of speakers. Sm-Co is in current use for the creation of the mechanisms that play sounds through speakers. The apparently endless applications of earth magnets also provide for long lasting cordless tools and new products currently under development that will continue to improve our lives.