{"product_id":"the-spinning-magnet-isbn-9781101985168","title":"The Spinning Magnet","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe mystery of Earth's invisible, life-supporting power\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlanna Mitchell's globe-trotting history of the science of electromagnetism and the Earth's magnetic field--right up to the latest indications that the North and South Poles may soon reverse, with apocalyptic results--will soon change the way you think about our planet.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAward-winning journalist Alanna Mitchell's science storytelling introduce intriguing characters--from the thirteenth-century French investigations into magnetism and the Victorian-era discover that electricity and magnetism emerge from the same fundamental force to the latest research. No one has ever told so eloquently how the Earth itself came to be seen as a magnet, spinning in space with two poles, and that those poles have dramatically reversed many time, often coinciding with mass extinctions. The most recent reversal was 780,000 years ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMitchell explores indications that the Earth's magnetic force field is decaying faster than previously thought. When the poles switch, a process that takes many years, the Earth is unprotected from solar radiation storms that would, among other disturbances, wipe out much and possible all of our electromagnetic technology. Navigation for all kinds of animals is disrupted without a stable, magnetic North Pole. But can you imagine no satellites, no Internet, no smartphones--maybe no power grids at all?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlanna Mitchell offers a beautifully crafted narrative history of surprising ideas and science, illuminating invisible parts of our own planet that are constantly changing around us.\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Spinning Magnet\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The Earth's magnetic field -- an invisible cloak that shields our bodies and our technologies from deadly harm -- tends to be taken for granted. In reality it's a fickle, ill-understood phenomenon. Alanna Mitchell delves into the mystery, in an engrossing book that features a new surprise on every page.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Sean Carroll, author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"In \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Spinning Magnet\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e, Alanna Mitchell weaves a scientific mystery in the best possible way, exploring the ancient puzzle of our planet's electromagnetic field, following scientists as they attempt to decipher its clues, leading us to a better understanding of Earth's invisible and powerful electromagnetic field. The result is a compelling tale of unseen and unforeseen natural forces - and a reminder that we've staked our home on a planet that remains infinitely strange, dangerous - and ever full of wonder.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Deborah Blum, author of\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A fascinating untold story of science that is full of mystery and intrigue, and written with a great deal of style.\" \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Mark Miodownik, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eStuff Matters, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003ewinner of the Royal Society’s Winton Prize\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In \u003ci\u003eThe Spinning Magnet\u003c\/i\u003e, Alanna Mitchell pulls off the rare trifecta in science writing: an engrossing plot of a planetary mystery, authentic character portraits of scientists and their passion for their work, and explanations of complex physics in easily understandable terms.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Sabine Stanley, \u003cb\u003eProfessor of Earth and Planetary Sciences,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eApplied Physics Lab, Johns Hopkins University\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e “Most of us don’t think much about magnetism or the Earth’s magnetic field. We recognize the importance of navigational compasses and the usefulness of those little magnets that decorate our kitchen refrigerators, but we don’t feel magnetism’s presence in our daily lives and we suspect we could probably live without it. Think again! In \u003ci\u003eThe Spinning Magnet\u003c\/i\u003e, Alanna Mitchell draws us into a spellbinding scientific detective story, told over the ages, as she nimbly explains magnetism’s role in everything that matters. Each chapter is filled with exciting new revelations written in clear crisp prose. A skilled writer, Mitchell puts magnetism on the map!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eTimothy J. Jorgensen, author of \u003ci\u003eStrange Glow: The Story of Radiation\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the American Institute of Physics' Science Communication Award\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[Mitchell] makes vivid the process of science … A complex, well-told account of ‘this spinning magnet we live on.'\"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Captivating scientific history… an invaluable contribution to the popular science shelf.” \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eBooklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Mitchell’s nontechnical discussion is substantively accessible, and her vivid writing holds the reader’s attention. … Pop science readers and science policy wonks will find plenty to think—and worry—about here.”  \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e–Publisher’s Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“There is little doubt that the magnetic field will reverse again. In the meantime, \u003ci\u003eThe Spinning Magnet \u003c\/i\u003egives readers a nontechnical description of electromagnetism and a measured assessment of the possible consequences for our modern world if it does so in the near future.”\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e–Science\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“An intriguing story of humankind’s recent and evolving understanding of the integral electromagnetic properties of our planet that should hold the interest of both teen and adult readers.”  \u003cb\u003e–\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Mitchell’s portrait gallery is researched with a depth and breadth that make its protagonists’ triumphs and failures compelling. She also gives entertaining accounts of today’s working geoscientists. … Her interviews provide insights into their thoughts and actions that transcend the stereotypes of inscrutable nerd or heroic explorer.\" \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e–Nature\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“We don’t usually feature nonfiction books on this list, but science journalist Mitchell’s narrative history of the science of electromagnetism—with a look toward the future and the imminent, inevitable reversing of the North and South Poles—sounds as thrilling as any scifi tale.”\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e  \u003ci\u003e-io9\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“Leaves readers tingling with anticipation… A thorough investigation of the scientific discoveries surrounding the electromagnetic field and what might happen when this force field fails.” \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e-Shelf Awareness\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e“In the same vein as Elizabeth Kolbert’s \u003ci\u003eThe Sixth Extinction\u003c\/i\u003e, Mitchell’s captivating book shocks us into contemplating the physical forces that keep our world spinning that we take for granted every day.” \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003cb\u003e—BookPage\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eALANNA MITCHELL\u003c\/b\u003e is an acclaimed science journalist and author of \u003ci\u003eSea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis\u003c\/i\u003e, which won the Grantham Prize for excellence in environmental journalism. She won a National Magazine Award in 2014 for a feature on the biology of extinction and in 2015 won a New York International Radio Festival Silver Medal for her science documentary on neonicotinoid pesticides. She has written for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times \u003c\/i\u003eScience section and is a contributor to CBC Radio's \u003ci\u003eQuirks \u0026amp; Quarks\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in Toronto, Canada.Chapter 1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e the beginnings of things\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Jacques Kornprobst, the man who can read the secrets of the rocks,      was agitated. He had arrived twenty minutes early to pick me up at      the hotel in Clermont-Ferrand, an ancient French university town      perched on an annealed crack in the planet's crust. He had the      entry code at the ready to get into the free parking lot behind      the building. The code had failed him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Some drivers cruise the streets nonchalantly, certain that the      perfect parking spot will open up at just the right time.      Kornprobst was not among them. Parking in this city of 150,000 had      become troublesome over the decades he had lived there, and as he      had mapped out the day's tightly choreographed itinerary he had      made intricate plans about where to park. And now, the first      parking spot of the day had fallen through.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Inside the hotel he sprinted, red-faced, fingertips frigid in the      spring chill.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Kornprobst!\" he rapped out as he met me for the first time. Then      he turned swiftly to the reception desk to let off a stream of      injured French, explaining to the bewildered woman sitting      there-she had been so friendly earlier, solicitous about      replenishing the croissant basket and tinkering with the      cafŽ-au-lait machine-about the affront. He had called the day      before to secure the code. And now, today, he said, chin thrust      slightly forward, it was malfunctioning.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Abruptly, she left through a back door. He darted out front to a      tiny blue Renault car that was parked haphazardly on a curve at      the corner, performed a roundabout U-turn through the city's      tortured roads, and then nosed up to the gate with its      uncooperative code. The receptionist stood there, punching in      numbers, shivering. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.      Finally, the barrier began to rise and the receptionist, without      so much as a glance behind her, returned inside to her desk.      Kornprobst smiled grimly, thrust the little car into gear, gunned      the engine, and zoomed triumphantly into a parking spot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e He was watching the clock. He was on a mission to memorialize the      life and work of Bernard Brunhes, a French physicist who, along      with his research assistant Pierre David, made an astounding,      violently unsettling, and controversial find at the turn of the      last century. Brunhes, whose name is pronounced \"brune,\"      discovered that the planet's two magnetic poles-north and      south-had once switched places. In the decades following his      discovery, his colleagues, originally aghast at Brunhes's finding,      proved that the poles have reversed not just once, but many times      on an unpredictable, or \"aperiodic,\" schedule. The last time was      780,000 years ago.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But despite the fact that our current magnetic epoch is named      after him, Brunhes has largely slipped out of the scientific      memory. He does not even rate his own entry in the Encyclopedia of      Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism, the bible of the discipline of      reading patterns in the Earth's magnetic fields. Nor is he      lionized in France, usually so careful to honor its own. In fact,      he's all but unknown even in his homeland, along with his grand      scientific finding that the poles can switch places, that up can      become down.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Kornprobst, a fellow physicist, felt that he must right this      wrong. He was so committed to Brunhes's memory that some years ago      he took the trouble to find the spot in the countryside where      Brunhes hacked a piece of crumbly terracotta rock-similar to the      stuff of Greek vases-out of a roadcut and made his great      discovery. Kornprobst painstakingly pieced together the clues      about where it could be and is one of a handful of people in the      world who can usually find it. The first time he made the      pilgrimage to the site, he left frustrated, having failed to      identify the right seam of rock. He's found it several times      since, but it's so overgrown, so unmarked, that success is always      touch and go.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Kornprobst thought that Brunhes should at least have a      commemorative panel at the university in Clermont-Ferrand, so he      sweated through a couple of years writing to geological agencies      and eminent physicists all over the world jostling their elbows      about Brunhes's contribution to science, raising the money to      erect it. Then he arranged for a ceremony and lecture to accompany      its inauguration at the university in 2014. It was through that      ceremony that I found Kornprobst. He wrote an article about it for      Eos, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. I read it and      sent him an email asking him if he would help me understand why      Brunhes was so important and maybe even find that seam of      terracotta. He wrote back thirteen minutes later to say he would      be delighted. I was at the hotel in Clermont-Ferrand two weeks      later.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Sporting a thick, off-white cable-knit sweater the same hue as his      rakish hair, Kornprobst left the car in the lot and we set off      briskly on foot from the hotel through the back streets of      Clermont-Ferrand. It is one of the oldest cities in France,      founded more than two millennia ago on the site of what was then a      sacred grove of trees. And so we were marching through time,      across the history of science. Up the road named after Pierre      Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit priest and paleontologist who deeply      offended the Vatican for asserting that the book of Genesis is      more allegory than fact. Past the geology department of the      downtown campus of UniversitŽ Blaise Pascal, named after the      seventeenth-century mathematician and physicist whose seminal      experiment on barometric pressure was conducted a few kilometers      outside the city by a brother-in-law (\"There is the belief that      Pascal experimented with pressure here,\" Kornprobst declaimed,      pointing vigorously down the street, \"but it's not true!\"). Across      a road named after the nineteenth-century zoologist Karl Kessler.      And finally, to rue de Rabanesse, named after the tiny pale stone      Renaissance castle that was Brunhes's home and first observatory.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Kornprobst gestured to it triumphantly, eyebrows raised, as if it      explained a great deal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It looked like nothing out of the ordinary. It was standing      forgotten on an overgrown patch of land across the street from a      busy art school, surrounded by two layers of forbidding wire      fence. Many of its lower windows-once elegant-were partially      filled in with cement blocks. The parging that had covered the      volcanic fieldstone that made up its walls had decayed, leaving      gaps along the seams so you could see how it had all been fitted      together. Its turret, where Brunhes collected meteorological      information beginning in 1900, was still sturdy, reaching six      floors into the sky, fifteenth-century iron fretwork still robust.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This observatory is where the tale of Brunhes begins. And where      the tale of Brunhes begins, so too does the story of the discovery      of the planet's long string of pole reversals. And that story, in      turn, contains the tale of the mysterious magnetic organism in the      core of the planet and how it has become deeply disturbed once      more, yet again deciding whether to reverse.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It was here that Brunhes, whose name means \"brown\" in the Occitan      language of the ancient troubadours of this land, began to dream      of understanding magnetism, the Earth's secret power. We never      feel it and rarely see it, but all the same, scientists and      philosophers have been trying to understand it for thousands of      years. For most of that time, people have imagined it to be local      and transient. Magic, even. And fickle magic at that. In fact,      magnetism is one of the few essential powers of the universe. To      understand it, you have to go back in time to the birth of the      universe, to see how the universe is arranged. And you have to do      that in the company of theoretical physicists, who have developed      the most precise mathematical laws so far to describe reality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 2\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e the unpaired spinning electron\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Today, magnetism is properly known as electromagnetism, one of the      universe's four fundamental physical forces. A fundamental force      is one that simply exists. It is a never-ending characteristic. If      you compare it to mathematics, it's conceptually akin to a prime      number-like 3 or 13-that can't be divided into any combination of      whole numbers except itself and one. A fundamental force can't be      reduced into a more basic force; it simply is.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In theory, there are an infinite number of prime numbers. But in      the universe today, there are only four fundamental physical      forces-at least that we know of: gravity, strong nuclear      interactions, weak nuclear interactions, and electromagnetism.      (Caveat: scientists continue to look for a mysterious fifth force      and make occasional, highly contested claims that they have found      it. Stay tuned.) Each of these forces is intrinsic to the workings      of the universe, indispensable, inescapable. They were born along      with the universe, the sun, stars, moon, and skies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Gravity is the force that made Isaac Newton's apple fall to the      ground and that keeps you from falling off the face of the Earth      as it spins. It governs bulk matter and attracts but doesn't      repel. It is the weakest of the forces but stretches to infinite      space. The nuclear interactions govern the insides of atoms but      nothing larger. Strong nuclear interactions hold the cores of      atoms together. Weak ones (called weak because their sphere of      influence is even smaller than strong nuclear interactions) allow      atoms to fall apart and metamorphose into other types of atoms.      That makes the weak nuclear force the ultimate alchemist. It is      responsible for radioactive decay. The energy of our sun, which      makes Earth the warm, livable place it is, is the result of both      types of nuclear forces. As you read this, the weak interaction is      allowing hydrogen protons to shed enough energy to become heavy      hydrogen (deuterium) and then the strong interaction allows the      atoms that result to fuse together into helium atoms.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e So what is electromagnetism? It is the force that holds matter      together. Apart from gravity, which holds us down on Earth,      everything we see around us is due to magnetic and electric      forces, explained the American theoretical physicist Sean Carroll.      It is the basis of the structure of the atom, holding electrons in      place and allowing atoms to link up into molecules. But where did      the structure of the atom come from? From the birth of the      universe itself.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e So, Big Bang, about 13.7 billion years ago. The universe is      created. What makes up the universe and everything in it? Is it      atoms and the elements they form? To quantum field theorists, the      answer can be stripped back to something more fundamental than      atoms. To them, the universe is fashioned of fields: a field for      each of the fundamental forces and thirteen other fields governing      matter. A field is simply a mathematical way of talking about      fluidlike substances that are spread out everywhere throughout the      universe and have a value everywhere in the world. They ripple and      sway. It's a difficult concept. In his famous physics lectures to      undergraduates at the California Institute of Technology, the late      American physicist Richard Feynman said he had never been able to      develop a mental image of the electromagnetic field: \"How do I      imagine the electric and magnetic field? What do I actually see?      What are the demands of scientific imagination? Is it any      different from trying to imagine that the room is full of      invisible angels? No, it is not like imagining invisible angels.      It requires a much higher degree of imagination to understand the      electromagnetic field than to understand invisible angels.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Some portions of the electromagnetic field can be discerned. A      wave of light is a bump in the electromagnetic field that travels      through space. A particle, on the other hand, exists in only one      location and nowhere else. But, like light, a particle is still a      facet of a field, a little wave tied up into a bundle of energy.      And particles make up atoms, or the stuff we can see and feel. The      most basic particles, for our purposes here, are electrons and two      kinds of quarks: up and down. Each of them has its own field. If      you were to think about it in biological terms, they are like the      base pairs of DNA that are the foundation of every living thing on      Earth. The magic of the universe is that, conceptually, any of      these quarks could be exchanged for any other quark. The same goes      for electrons. They and their fields are the building blocks of      all matter, including you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The inevitable implication of this, to a theoretical physicist, is      that what we observe is only a portion of what is there. What we      normally think of as empty space is filled with this powerful      electromagnetic force field that gives matter its concreteness, as      well as the other forces and fields. To physicists, this is      humdrum reality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e By the time the universe is a few millionths of a second old, it      has cooled down enough for quarks to join together to create      protons and neutrons, the bits that will eventually form the cores      of atoms. (The word \"atom\" comes from the Greek meaning      \"indivisible.\" Wrong, as it turns out.) Electrons don't join up to      make anything bigger; they remain solo. These particles aren't      forming atoms at this point; the universe is still too hot.      They're just bits.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e At about the 100-second mark in the life of this new universe,      things have cooled down enough for some protons and neutrons to      link up and make the heavy centers, or nuclei, of helium atoms-two      protons, two neutrons. Give it another 380,000 years and now it's      cool enough that some of those simple nuclei have got electrons in      the space around them. The electrons are negative. The protons are      positive. They are responding to the maxims of the electromagnetic      field: Opposite charges attract and like charges repel. So the      negative electrons are drawn to the positive protons. That      attraction keeps the electrons inhabiting the space around the      nucleus. Neutrons, as the name suggests, are neutral. Why are      protons positive and electrons negative and neutrons neutral? No      one has satisfactorily explained that; they seem simply to have      been born with those differences and we happened to endow them      with that nomenclature. Why do opposite charges attract? Again, it      just seems to be part of how the fields showed up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Most of the atom's weight is in its center, in the protons and      neutrons that are the nucleus. The electrons are lightweights,      usually in motion. Some chemists like to say that if the whole      atom were the size of a baseball stadium, the nucleus would be      about the size of a baseball in the middle. That means most of an      atom is what the early theorists of atomic structure used to think      of as empty space. Today we know that it is filled with invisible      fields. Because atoms create matter, that also means that most      matter, not just space, is invisible fields. That includes the      matter that makes up your body. I sometimes imagine what it must      have felt like for the scientist who figured that out. I imagine      him looking at his hand with renewed intensity, trying to peer      through it.","brand":"Dutton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304084263141,"sku":"NP9781101985168","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781101985168.jpg?v=1767741622","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-spinning-magnet-isbn-9781101985168","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}