William Gilbert 1544 - 1603
William Gilbert
This week we travel way back in time to a name that may not be familiar to us. William Gilbert was a doctor in London and was the doctor to Queen Elizabeth I. Although the effects of magnets was thought to be first noticed in the time of the Ancient Greeks, it was Gilbert's work in 1600 that explained magnets and the fact that the Earth's core contained iron and was like a giant magnet. He did lots of studies of magnets and electricity and wrote up his findings.
This Scientist will be particularly interesting for those of you in Year 3 and 4 who are studying magnets and there are lots of experiments you can do. Please do not use magnets around small children as they can be very dangerous if swallowed.