In the late 1800s, metallurgists noticed that when iron reached roughly 768∘C768 raised to the composed with power C
(the Curie point ), its physical properties seemed to shift. They categorized iron into distinct Greek-lettered phases based on temperature: Stable, magnetic iron at room temperature. Beta ( ): What they thought was a new non-magnetic phase. Gamma ( ): A legitimate structural change starting at 912∘C912 raised to the composed with power C The Scientific "Twist" beta iron
Today, the term is mostly obsolete in formal metallurgy, as scientists realized the " " phase was just alpha iron without its magnetic pull. In the late 1800s, metallurgists noticed that when