Instruments
Magnetometer
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A magnetometer is an instrument that measures magnetic field strength or magnetic dipole moment, used across geophysics, space science and materials research to detect and characterize magnetic fields.
Facts
Invented YearCarl Friedrich Gauss's 1832 instrument, a bar magnet suspended horizontally from a gold fibre to measure the strength of Earth's magnetic field, is generally credited as the first magnetometer. MeasuresMagnetic field strength, and in vector instruments, its direction. 1 Operating PrincipleDetects the direction, strength or relative change of a magnetic field at a given location, historically via the deflection or oscillation of a suspended magnet and, in modern instruments, via induction, Hall-effect or fluxgate sensors. 1 ResolutionSQUID magnetometers reproducibly achieve femtotesla resolutions in optimized laboratory settings. 1 Operating RangeEarth's magnetic field varies from about 20,000 to 80,000 nanotesla depending on location. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
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