Instruments

Magnetometer

Citation Formats

General Reference

Science Atlas. "Magnetometer." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-science.interactiveatlas.org/instruments/magnetometer.

APA Style

Science Atlas. (n.d.). Magnetometer. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-science.interactiveatlas.org/instruments/magnetometer

BibTeX

@misc{scienceatlas-magnetometer,
  author = {Science Atlas},
  title = {Magnetometer},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-science.interactiveatlas.org/instruments/magnetometer},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

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 Year

1832 1

Carl 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.

Measures

Magnetic field strength, and in vector instruments, its direction. 1

Operating Principle

Detects 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

Resolution

SQUID magnetometers reproducibly achieve femtotesla resolutions in optimized laboratory settings. 1

Operating Range

Earth's magnetic field varies from about 20,000 to 80,000 nanotesla depending on location. 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Invented By

Carl Friedrich Gauss

Source Magnetometer (Wikipedia)

Used In

Geophysics

Magnetometers are widely used for measuring the Earth's magnetic field in geophysical surveys.

Source Magnetometer (Wikipedia)

Sources

1. Magnetometer (Wikipedia)

WikipediaLead section

Quote, Lead section

A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field (B) or magnetic dipole moment.

View the Source

1. Magnetometer (Wikipedia)

WikipediaHistory section

Quote, History section

In 1833, Carl Friedrich Gauss, head of the Geomagnetic Observatory in Gottingen, published a paper on measurement of the Earth's magnetic field.

View the Source

1. Magnetometer (Wikipedia)

WikipediaOverview section

Quote, Overview section

Inductive pickup coils measure the magnetic dipole moment of a material by detecting the current induced in a coil due to the changing magnetic moment of the sample.

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1. Magnetometer (Wikipedia)

WikipediaLaboratory section

Quote, Laboratory section

SQUID magnetometry is an extremely sensitive absolute magnetometry technique, reproducibly achieving femtotesla resolutions in optimized laboratory settings.

View the Source

1. Magnetometer (Wikipedia)

WikipediaIntroduction section

Quote, Introduction section