• Introduction
• A Magnetic Personality
• A Powerful Discovery
• Around the Circuit
• What's a Watt and What It's Not
• NC GreenPower's Electrical Connection
• Download this article as a

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A magnetic personality

In their natural state, electrons orbit their atomic home in a kind of harmonious dance. Half of the electrons in the atom spin in one direction and the other half spin in the opposite direction. They are all evenly spaced and everything is in balance. But when the electrons are placed in the environment of a magnet, something very different happens. The evenly spaced, harmoniously spinning electrons skew themselves to one end of the magnet or the other, creating an imbalance in the forces found between each end. The resulting imbalance is called a magnetic field.

Most people are familiar with the behavioral tendencies of a magnet. Each end, or pole, of the magnet will either attract or repel another magnet that comes into contact with it. This bipolar behavior is caused by the magnetic field that pushes some electrons in one direction and the rest in another direction.

Since the magnetic force of a magnet flows from one pole of the magnet to the other pole, it will by its flow push away another magnet whose field runs opposite to the first. In other words, a north pole will repel a north pole, and a south pole will repel a south pole. But if the north pole of a magnet meets up with the south pole of another, there is an attraction that is, well, magnetic. Just as in the case of protons and electrons, when it comes to magnets, opposites attract.

This force of magnetism on electrons can be used to make electricity. By moving magnetic fields, electrons can be pushed or pulled to generate electricity. And by using magnetic fields on metals such as copper, whose electrons are arranged in a loosely assembled order, large amounts of electricity can be generated and moved along a path to be harnessed for work.