Magnet Facts

Do you remember the iconic conveyor belt scene from I Love Lucy? Lucy and Ethel are working at a candy factory but are warned they’ll be fired if they fail to wrap a single piece of candy. Naturally, things are never easy for the duo, and as the belt begins to move faster and faster... well, cue the laughter! But did you know that permanent magnets are used to operate real-life conveyor belts and pulley systems? Magnets are highly effective at separating certain materials, making them ideal in an industry like recycling where you must sift between plastics, metals, paper, and hundreds of other products along a single conveyor belt. Another good example is the food industry (maybe in a candy factory!) — you wouldn’t want anything dangerous slipping into the final product before mass distribution. Most operations will place a magnetic pulley at the end of the conveyor belt as part of their separation efforts. Continue reading →

Whether you live in the city or the suburbs, there is always the looming threat of burglary, especially during the holiday season. You’ve seen the commercials — a family sleeps soundly as a thief creeps up to the backdoor. After breaking the lock, he quietly shoulders his way into the home. Suddenly, the night erupts in the sound of alarms. As the security company calls the homeowner, he or she looks out the window just in time to see the would-be intruder fleeing over the backyard fence. You might think that an important piece of equipment like a security system would use cutting edge technology, but in reality, it’s actually quite simple. In fact,  the barrier between average families and break-ins is a magnet and a basic reed switch. For someone in the security industry, it’s important to understand how this kind of system works. Continue reading →

When you step into the break room to purchase your favorite snack, you probably don’t give the vending machine much thought. You deposit your money, punch in the product code, and take your chips or candy bar back to your desk. You might not realize it as you eagerly await your food, but a complex series of processes is happening inside the machine, and you can thank magnets for that. Different types of magnet technology are used depending on how you decide to pay — whether it’s with coins, cash, or credit card. Continue reading →

Sometimes we need a reminder that a strong sense of self-discipline and curiosity can lead to great scientific discovery. Mary Fairfax Somerville, the 19th century “Queen of Science” who gained recognition as a self-taught science writer after the publication of her Mechanism of the Heavens in 1831, exemplifies this notion. Continue reading →

Each year in the United States, semi-trailer trucks travel roughly 140 billion miles of crisscrossing highways across the country to transport 68% of the United States’ goods and merchandise. With many miles to log and important, often heavy cargo to tow, it’s crucial to equip these trailer trucks with reliable brakes. The brakes beneath an 18-wheeler (or another big trailer like a caravan or RV) rely on magnets to stop all that weight and momentum. But how do they manage to do it? Continue reading →

Sometimes great discoveries find the scientist. This is certainly the case with Dutch botanist Sebald Justinus Brugmans. Through a complex life with many careers, Brugmans contributed to an array of scientific fields including chemistry, medicine, botany, and physics. Continue reading →

All over the world, wind mills are appearing in skylines. Whether dotting the the tops of mountain ranges or standing tall over the ocean, windmills bring reliable energy without the air pollution involved in other forms of power.  Continue reading →

If you’ve ever painted a room, you’re already familiar with some of the common roadblocks: nails from hung pictures need to be removed, holes need to be filled in, trim needs taping off, and drop cloths need to be ready to catch any splattered paint.  Continue reading →

When working with tools, there’s nothing more frustrating than a tiny screw bouncing off the workbench and disappearing into a dark corner. That’s why many tool manufacturers sell magnetic-tipped screwdrivers. While these are wonderful tools, it doesn’t mean you need to go running off to the store for a new set. By using a simple magnetizer/demagnetizer, you can make the regular old screwdrivers you already own magnetic or nonmagnetic any time you’d like.  Continue reading →

You probably don’t think twice when you set your recycling on the curb in the morning. While you head to work for the day, an enormous truck comes by and devours the plastic bottles and soup cans. The truck then takes these materials to a recycling center, a location often hidden somewhere on the outskirts of town.  Continue reading →