Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
⚛️

Magnetic resonance

physical science Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Magnetic resonance is a special way to use magnets. It creates a physical excitation. This means it makes a thing react in a certain way. Scientists use this to build MRI machines for doctors. These machines help people see inside the body. This process also helps make NMRS technology. Some people even use it to build quantum computers.

This process works by using a field. This field has a controlled frequency. A frequency is how fast something repeats. Scientists look for a qualitative change. This change happens at a specific frequency. At this point, a transition between states has a high probability. This change helps us see the gap between energy levels. It is a way to measure those levels.

People first saw this in 1944. A Soviet physicist named Y. K. Zavosky saw it. He was teaching at Kazan State University. This school is now called Kazan Federal University. He saw electron-spin resonance first. This was a very important discovery for science. It helped us understand how tiny things work.

In 1946, more discoveries happened in the US. One team was led by Felix Bloch. A separate team was led by Edward Mills Purcell. They both observed nuclear magnetic resonance. These two men were very important to physics. They both won the Nobel Prize in 1952. This prize is a very big honor.

Scientists use these ideas in many ways. One way is to measure energy levels. They can find the separation between two levels. They can also use the Stern-Gerlach experiment. This experiment measures a magnetic moment. It finds the resonance frequency for spin states. This helps us understand the physical world. It links magnetism to how tiny things move.

284 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

More to explore

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.