Magnet

A body which tends when suspended by its centre of gravity to lay itself in a definite direction, and to place a definite line within it, its magnetic axis, q. v., in a definite direction, which, roughly speaking, lies north and south. The same bodies have the power of attracting iron (Daniell), also nickel and cobalt. Magnets are substances which po e the power of attracting iron. (Ganot.) [Transcriber's note: Edward Purcell and others have explained magnetic and electromagnetic phenomenon as relativistic effects related to electrostatic attraction. Magnetism is caused by Lorentz contraction of space along the direction of a current. Electromagnetic waves are caused by charge acceleration and the resulting disturbance of the electrostatic field. (Electricity and Magnetism: Berkeley Physics Course Volume 2, 1960)]