FROM SCRATCH SERIES || CHAPTER 1: वैद्युतकषास्त्र (THE ELECTRICITY महायज्ञ) || PART 2: l'aimant(The Magnet)

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 Part 2 || l'aimant(The Magnet) ||


Let's continue from where we left off: Pliny the elder's Natural History -> Book 36 -> Chapter 25 -> 'The Magnet: Three Remedies'. An excerpt is provided here: 

Then, there are works of the Chinese polymath and statesman: Shen Kuo(1031AD - 1095AD)
Shen Kuo
This guy wrote something called the 'Dream Pool Essays' or 'Dream Torrent Essays' - Published in 1088. Wherein, among other things(medicine, mathematics, astronomy, science and technology, optics, architecture, civil engineering etc.), he's written a little something on magnetism(or rather, a LOT of it). The book's actual name(as translated from Chinese) would be: 
"Brush Talks from a Dream Brook"
Dream Brook was the name he gave to his lavish golden estate where he was living while retired from the government office. 
Brush Talks: This comes from the quote by Shen Kuo himself: 
"Because I only had my writing brush and ink slab to converse with, I call it Brush Tales"

What we're most interested in, is his work in magnetism and navigation. Here are some excerpts: 


I couldn't find the actual text on the internet, so this is all I could find using chatGPT. He is "One of the earliest people who wrote extensively about magnetic compasses".

The first known European reference to the magnetic compass is found in the works of Alexander Neckam (1157AD - 1217AD). He was an English poet, theologian and writer. 

Alexander Neckam

In his book: 'De Utensilibus'(Latin: On Instruments) He mentioned the magnetic compass as an aid to navigation; First European writing to do so. 

Then, in 13th century AD, comes along a guy called: Peter Peregrines of Maricourt(1240AD - 1300s or something AD). A French Mathematician, physicist and writer.

Peter Peregrinus De Maricourt

His text on magnets is titled as: 'Epistle Perti Peregrini de Maricourt ad Sygerum de Faucourt, Militem de Magente' (French: Letter of Peter Peregrinus of Maricourt to Sygerus of Foucourt, Soldier on the magnet). OR.... 'Epistola de magnete' (French: Letter on the magnet).

This, is the first extant written account on magnets which describes the basic laws involved(of magnetism). He provides the first extant written account on the polarity of magnets. He mentions the attraction between the like and the repellence between the unlike poles. In the introductory part of the book, he mentions the poetic description of magnet(lodestone) by Lucretius(99BC - 55BC) in: 'De Rerum Natura'(Latin: On the nature of things). Here is the excerpt from 'Epistola De Magenete': 


Apart from the extensive work on the Sailor's compasses, he also proposes a design for a perpetual motion device: 

After him, 14th and 15th century Europe saw the rise of use of magnetic compass improving sea navigation. Mariners observed magnetic declination(compass navigation). 





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