Cov hlau nplaum tsis yog tsim los ntawm tib neeg thiab yog cov uas muaj lub cev loj heev. Cov Greeks qub thiab Suav pom lub ntuj pob zeb zoo li cas, hu lawv "hlau nplaum." Qhov no zoo li lub pob zeb tuaj yeem nqus tau me me ntawm cov hlau thiab ib txwm taw tes rau hauv tib lub tsheb tom qab qev dawb. Cov neeg tsav nkoj ntxov siv cov txuj ci no ua lawv txoj kev khavthawj los qhia txog cov lus qhia hauv hiav txwv. Qhov ntxov tshaj plaws discovery thiab siv cov hlau nplaum yog suav, uas yog, kev siv cov hlau nplaum los tsim ib lub "compass", uas yog ib qho ntawm 4 lub tuam txhab loj tshaj plaws.
Tom qab txhiab xyoo ntawm txoj kev loj hlob, cov hlau nplaum tau ua ib yam khoom tseem ceeb hauv peb lub neej hnub no. Los ntawm cov khoom sib txawv ntawm cov khoom sib txawv, cov nyhuv tib yam li cov hlau nplaum tau tiav, thiab qhov sib nqus sib nqus kuj tseem tuaj yeem ua tau. Khoom phom cov hlau nplaum nyob rau xyoo pua paub, tiam sis cov txheej txheem ntawm kev sib zog sib nqus cov khoom sib nqus tau qeeb qeeb mus txog thaum Alnico raug tsim tawm thaum xyoo 1920. Tom qab ntawd, Ferrite tau tsim nyob rau xyoo 1950 thiab lub ntiaj teb tsis tshua muaj hlau nplaum (Tsis tshua muaj hlau nplaum nyob hauv NdFeB thiab SmCo) hauv xyoo 1970s. Nyob rau ntawm lub sij hawm no, sib nqus tshawb fawb thiab tshuab tau tsim tau sai heev, thiab ferromagnetic cov ntaub ntawv kuj tau ua cov khoom sib cog lus dua.
