Verticity facts for kids
In the history of science, verticity was an old idea. It was thought to be a special force. This force supposedly made things move towards the Earth's North or South Poles. People sometimes called these poles "vertices."
What Was Verticity?
Verticity was a concept from the early days of understanding magnets. It tried to explain why compasses point north. It also tried to explain how the Earth itself worked. This idea is not used in science today.
William Gilbert's Idea
In 1600, a scientist named William Gilbert wrote an important book. It was called On the Magnet and Magnetick Bodies, and on That Great Magnet the Earth. In his book, Gilbert talked about two types of verticity.
- Surface verticity: This was the weaker kind. It explained why natural magnets, called "loadstones," and iron that had become magnetic would point north.
- Deep verticity: Gilbert believed this was a much stronger force. He thought it came from the very center of the Earth.
Gilbert was one of the first people to suggest that the Earth spins. He believed the Earth spun because of this "deep verticity." He also thought that tiny pieces of matter escaped from the Earth's core. These pieces became weaker as they moved closer to the surface. They became the weaker magnets we find today.
Francis Bacon's Different View
Not everyone agreed with Gilbert. A famous thinker named Francis Bacon had different ideas. He did not believe the Earth spun. He also did not think the Earth had any "deep verticity" or magnetism. Bacon thought the Earth's core was cold and did not move. This was similar to what another scientist, Telesio, had said.
Bacon explained magnets in a different way. He thought their movement was a westward motion. He believed this westward movement happened everywhere. For example, he thought the Atlantic Ocean moved west. Then it bounced off the American coast, creating ocean tides. He also thought planets, stars, the sun, and the moon all moved westward. Bacon believed that magnets moved because almost everything had a natural push to go west. It was not due to a special magnetic force.
