In 1879, Edwin Hall discovered an electrical effect thought to need a perpendicular magnetic field; 147 years later, scientists have shown it can work with the field in-plane

In 1879, Edwin Hall discovered an electrical effect thought to need a perpendicular magnetic field; 147 years later, scientists have shown it can work with the field in-plane

An atomic force microscopy scan of a nanometer-sized device developed by Carnegie Mellon scientists that demonstrates a new form of the Hall effect. For more than a century, the Hall effect has been taught with a simple picture that electricity flows through a material, a magnetic field pushes the moving charges sideways, and a voltage … Read more

A World War II submarine detector was later used to map magnetic stripes on the seafloor, helping scientists prove that Earth’s tectonic plates move

A World War II submarine detector was later used to map magnetic stripes on the seafloor, helping scientists prove that Earth’s tectonic plates move

A device built to track enemy submarines during the Second World War went on to become one of the most important tools in Earth science. The fluxgate magnetometer, first developed to detect small disturbances in the planet’s magnetic field caused by metal hulls beneath the ocean surface, was later adapted by scientists to study the … Read more