How does magnetism work and why are moving charges involved?

[TheTankEngine]

I would really appreciate any help understanding magnetism.

First off, for all I know, no one can fully explain WHY moving charges create a magnetic field, but can tell you HOW they will behave and interact with each other. I'm hoping I'm wrong and that there is a reason.
(If at any time I am wrong (I will be) please tell me so)

I personally don't like the idea of imagining electric and magnetic field lines. They do, however, work very well to predict how things will happen. To me, the lines just symbolize the strength of the magnetic field.

Moving on, if the electrons "spinning" (I know that is controversial, but I have no clue) around the nucleus are what make the magnet have it's combined field, then the electrons are all "spinning" perpendicular to the north and south "poles" because the magnetic field is induced at right angles to the moving charges.

Using this logic, poles are unnecessary (but still work as a representation) and the interaction between magnets can be determined by comparing which way the electrons are "spinning". I have puzzled this out in by head, and this makes sense, including the Right Hand Rule and everything I could think of.

It seems that moving charges that are moving in the same direction are attracted to each other. This should only work when the certain charge is moving in relation to the opposite charge (did I word that well?). For example, in a wire with a current, the electrons are moving, but the nuclei aren't (relatively).

Any thoughts or explanations?

 

[gtoguy97]

Yes, the idea of electrons "spinning" around a nucleus is controversial. In reality, electrons are in orbitals around the nucleus and they don't actually spin. However, the motion of electrons is what causes magnetic fields. When electrons move around, they create an electric field and this in turn creates a magnetic field at right angles to the electric field. This phenomenon is known as electromagnetism. The Right Hand Rule states that if you make a fist with your right hand and curl your fingers in the direction of the current then the thumb will be pointing in the direction of the magnetic field. This is useful for determining the direction of the magnetic field created by the electric current. In terms of magnets, poles are necessary. All magnets have two poles - a north pole and a south pole - and opposite poles attract each other while like poles repel each other. This is due to the fact that the electrons in the atoms of the magnet are all aligned in one direction, creating a net magnetic field. The strength of the field depends on the number of electrons and how they are aligned.