by William Gilbert

Name: On the Magnet — Book III. Chap. 17.
Author: by William Gilbert

On the Magnet — Book III. Chap… (1900)

Summary

“On the Magnet — Book III. Chap. 17.”, published in 1900, is a work by by William Gilbert. It explores elements such as needle, loadstone and iron.

Quotes from On the Magnet — Book III. Chap… (by William Gilbert)

by William Gilbert, On the Magnet — Book III. Chap… (1900)

“ An iron needle (the soul of the mariners' compass) , the marvellous director in voyages and finger of God, one might almost say, indicates the course, and has pointed out the whole way around the earth (unknown for so many ages) . The Spaniards (as also the English) have frequently circumnavigated (by an immense circuit) the whole globe by aid of the mariners' compass. Those who travel about through the world or who sit at home have sun-dials. A magnetick pointer follows and searches out the veins of ore in mines. By its aid mines are driven in taking cities ”

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Source: Wikisource

by William Gilbert, On the Magnet — Book III. Chap… (1900)

“ Porta wrongly seeks for a proportion between the loadstone and the iron: because, he says, a little piece of iron will not be capable of holding much virtue; for it is consumed by the great force of the loadstone. A piece of iron receives its own virtue fully, even if it be only of the weight of one scruple, whilst the mass of the loadstone is a thousand pounds. It is also useless to make the needle rather flat at the end that is touched, so that it may be better and more perfectly magnetick, and that it may best receive and hold certain magnetick particles ”

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Source: Wikisource

by William Gilbert, On the Magnet — Book III. Chap… (1900)

“ If you also rub the other end of the needle on the other pole of the stone, the needle will perform its functions more steadily, especially if it be rather long. A piece of iron touched by a loadstone retains the magnetick virtue, excited in it even for ages [217] , firm and strong, if it is placed according to nature meridionally and not along a parallel, and is not injured by rust or any external injury from the surrounding medium. ”

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Source: Wikisource

by William Gilbert, On the Magnet — Book III. Chap… (1900)

“ If a needle be touched between the mutually accordant * poles of two loadstones, equal in power, shape, and mass, no strength is acquired by the needle. A and B are two loadstones attracting one another, according to nature, at their dissimilar ends; C, the * point of a needle touched by both at once, is not excited (even if those loadstones be connected according to nature) , if they are equal; but if they are not equal, virtue is acquired from the stronger. When a needle is being excited by a loadstone, begin in the middle, and draw the needle toward its end ”

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Source: Wikisource

by William Gilbert, On the Magnet — Book III. Chap… (1900)

“ Some delay is desirable, for although the power is imparted instantly, and the iron excited, yet from the vicinity of the loadstone and a suitable delay, a more steady verticity arises, and one that is more firmly durable in the iron. Although an armed stone raises a greater weight of iron than an unarmed one, yet a needle is not more strongly excited by an armed stone than by an unarmed one. Let there be two iron wires of the same length, wrought from the same wire; let one be excited by an armed end, the other by an unarmed end ”

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Source: Wikisource

by William Gilbert, On the Magnet — Book III. Chap… (1900)

“ But objects which are more powerfully excited move more quickly; those which are less powerfully excited, more feebly, and not unless brought rather close; the experiment is made on water with equal corks. ”

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Source: Wikisource

by William Gilbert, On the Magnet — Book III. Chap… (1900)

“ By these means let their bare surfaces be joined, and let them be rubbed, so that they may come together more firmly; not so that the material substance of the stone being joined to the iron may cleave to it, but they are rubbed gently together with friction, and (useless parts being rubbed off) they are intimately united; whence a more notable virtue arises in the iron that is excited. A is the best way of touching a versorium when the cusp touches the pole and faces it; B is a moderately good way, when, though facing it, it is a little way distant from the pole ”

by William Gilbert

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Quotes from On the Magnet — Book III. Chap… (by William Gilbert)

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