What was the first discovered magnetic material?
The first known magnetic material is a naturally-occurring mineral deposit known as a lodestone. It was found that small rods constructed out of this material would always point north if permitted to swing freely (i.e., when suspended from a string.) This discovery was useful for early navigational systems on ships. • How are electricity and magnetism related? Magnetism and electricity are closely related phenomena. Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter. Matter is made up of electrons, neutrons, and protons. Electrons have a negative electric charge, while protons have a positive electric charge; neutrons have no electric charge. These tiny particles are the building blocks of atoms. An atom has a net positive electric charge when it loses one of its electrons, and a net negative electric charge when it gains an extra electron. On the other hand, magnetic charges do not exist – Magnetic fields are generated solely by moving electric charges. An example of the relationship
