On the Loadstone and Magnetic Bodies
by William Gilbert · De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1600
- Era
- Renaissance
- Language
- Latin
- Length
- Medium · 300 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendDe Magnete, translated by P. Fleury MottelayDover Publications, 1991The 1893 translation used in the Great Books set, in an inexpensive reprint with the original figures.
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Gilbert, physician to Elizabeth I, spent eighteen years experimenting with lodestones and compass needles and published his results in six books. He distinguishes magnetic attraction from the electric attraction of rubbed amber, for which he coined the word electricus, describes the poles and orientation of magnets, and uses a spherical lodestone he calls a terrella to show that the earth itself is a great magnet, which explains the compass, magnetic dip and variation. The final book argues that the earth rotates. It is often called the first modern work of experimental physics.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns On the Loadstone and Magnetic Bodies are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
