The Standard Electrical Dictionary

1. Magnetism, Hughes' Theory of

   A theory accounting for magnetic phenomena by assuming that each molecule is a magnet, and that in a polarized or magnetized body they are all arranged with their poles in the same direction, while in an unmagnetized body their poles, alternating in direction, neutralize each other. Magnetization consists in a partial rotation of the molecules so as to make them agree in position, thus, as a resultant developing north and south poles at the ends of the bar. The theory is in a certain sense simpler than Ampere's theory, but is not so generally adopted.