Magnetism is used in many different objects. People are mostly not aware of the use of magnetism in their everyday life. It is surprising how many objects use magnetism and how these objects have changed the people’s life in the past.

Most of the people know that a compass uses the magnetic north pole to determine one’s current position. Compasses were used over hundreds of years and are still used today. When getting lost in the woods with no landmarks to orientate on a compass can be used to find the way out of the woods. Most of the explorers and adventurers use a compass to make sure they do not get lost. Of course in today’s life there are signs everywhere which lead the way to all kinds of places. But when staying in an area which not much people live in a compass can be very useful.

Another use of magnetism can be seen in tapes and discs. Video tapes, audio tapes, DVDs, CDs and other things all work because of magnetism. So one could say that without the discovery of magnetism people would not be able to listen to their favorite music or watch their favorite movie on disc or tape. Many people are not aware that these objects use magnetism to work and do not really care about this fact either. The only thing that matters to them is that the objects work the way they are supposed to.

Magnetism is also used in electric motors and generators. It also has another use in transportation: the maglev or magnetic levitation transport. It is mostly used in trains. Maglev uses electromagnetic force to guide vehicles, like trains. Many big cities already have a transportation system like that.

The use of magnetism in medicine is in MRI machines. MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging. It is used to spot problems in patient’s organs without invasive surgery. All in all one can say that magnetism is used in many different ways in today’s society and without the discovery of magnetism life would not be the same.

Magnetism and the earth’s magnetic field have always interested the human race. The magnetic field of the earth can give the people details about how the earth’s dynamo works and it also gives us important details about the interior of the planet.

Today people know that 95% of the magnetic field of the earth is caused by a dynamo effect. The earth’s core consists on the outside of liquid iron material and has a solid interior. This creates the so called dynamo effect and in extension the magnetic field. The magnetic field of the earth and the atmosphere offer an effective protection against harmful radiation from space, which consists of electrically charged particles.

A special geophysical phenomena, is the reversal of the geomagnetic field. The phenomena, is still not completely understood but took place in irregular intervals during the earth’s history. It is also expected to happen again in the future. The reversal of the geomagnetic field shows itself through small changes in magnetic properties. Scientist discovered that over the last 150 years the magnetic field’s strength steadily decreased. Satellite measurements over the last 20 years confirm the scientists’ discovery.

The analysis of the data material, collected from the satellites, suggest that the earth’s magnetic field will reverse again in 700-1000 years. This has already consequences for the planet. Through the weakened magnetic field dangerous radiation from space can not be stopped anymore. As a result more and more of the radiation strikes earth and will change the life on the planet. This can be seen today already when observing high-flying satellites in a region with a low magnetic field. 90% of the damage they suffer is caused by electrically charged particles from space.

The consequences of the reversal of the magnetic field of the earth are hard to predict. Especially dynamic processes lead to the sun to large magnetic storms. These magnetic storms can be seen as Northern Lights on earth. These phenomena disturb technical facilities on earth, such as telecommunication. An international initiative is trying to predict “space weather” using the knowledge of the earth’s magnetic field.