PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY PROJECT 

EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON MAGNETIC FIELD 
 
Umang Sanjeev Gupta  
XII-C 
 

 
 

 
  
 

INDEX 

1. Acknowledgment  

2. Bonafide certificate 

3. Introduction  

4. Objective 

5. Hypothesis 

6. Materials Required 

7. Theory  

8. Procedure 

9. Observation 

10. Conclusion 

11. Bibliography 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
2 
  
 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

I  would  like  to  thank  my  school  DPS  modern  India  school,  Doha  Qatar,  for  providing  me 
with  the  opportunity  to  make  the  physics  project  on  “Effect  of  Temperature on Strength of 
Magnetic field” for the academic year 2019-2020 

The success of any project depends largely on people associated with it 

I would like to thank my parents for their encouragement and support 

I  extend  my  sincere  gratitude  to  my  chemistry  teacher  Mr.Srinivas  Reddy  whose  constant 
inspiration and advice was indispensable to the accomplishment of the project 

I  would  like  to thank my lab teacher  Ms. Swarnaprabha who was instrumental by providing 

me the materials’ and her constant support 

  

Above  all,  I  am  thankful  to  almighty  God  as  the  present  work  has  seen the light of day due 
to his blessings 

 
3 
  
 

DPS – Modern Indian School, Doha – Qatar 

 
Bonafide Certificate 
 
This is to certify that this ​Physics Project ​on the topic ​Effect of
temperature on magnetic field has been done by ​Umang Sanjeev
Gupta​ of class XII -​C​, during the academic year 2019-2020.

Submitted for All India Senior School Certificate Examination

(AISSCE) for Physics Practical at DPS- Modern Indian School,
Doha, Qatar.

Date: ________Signature of the teacher in charge:___________

External Examiner Internal Examiner

Signature: Signature:
Name: Name:
School: School:

 
4 
  
 

INTRODUCTION 

Magnets  are  frequently  used  in daily life. For example, magnets are used in manufacturing, 

entertainment,  security,  and  they  play  a  crucial  role  in  the  functioning  of  computers.  Even 
the earth itself is a magnet. 

A  magnet is any object that produces a magnetic field The magnetic field will attract ferrous 
materials  like  iron  or  nickel.  It  also  attracts  or  repels  other  magnets  depending  on  the 
polarity of the other magnets. 

Some  magnets,  referred  to  as  permanent,  hold  their  magnetism  without  an  external 
electric  current.  A  magnet  of  this  nature  can  be  created  by  exposing  a  piece  of  metal 
containing  iron  to  a  number  of  situations  (i.e.  repeatedly  jarring  the  metal,  heating  to high 
temperature).  An  example  is  the  small  magnets  used  to  hold  notes  on  refrigerator  doors. 
Ferromagnetic  materials  like  iron,  cobalt  and  nickel  have  a  very  strong  attraction  towards 
magnets.  Some  ferromagnetic  materials  will  become  magnetic  when  exposed  to  a 
magnetic  field  for a long time. They will be able to retain the magnetic properties even after 
the  field  is  removed.  Other  "soft"  ferromagnetic  materials  will  lose  their  magnetism  once 
the magnetic field disappears. 

  Soft  magnets, on the other hand, are those that lose their magnetic charge properties over 
time.  Additionally,  paramagnetic  objects  are  those  that  can  become magnetic only when in 
the presence of an external magnetic field. 

A  magnetic  field  is  the space surrounding a magnet in which magnetic force is exerted. The 

motion  of  negatively  charged  electrons  in  the magnet determines not only the polarity, but 
also the strength of the magnet (Cold magnet). 

Magnets  are  filled  with  magnetic  lines  of  force  .  These  lines  originate  at  the  north  pole  of 
the  magnet  and  continue  to  the  south  pole.  The  north  pole  is  positive.  Magnetic  lines  of 
force do not intersect one another. 

Magnetism  is  created  by  the  alignment  of  small  domains  within  a  specific  set  of  metal. 
These  domains  function  as  all  atoms  do,  thus  the  temperature  affects  the  movement.  The 
higher the heat, the greater the energy, and as such the movement of the particles. In 

 
5 
  
 

contrast,  cold  temperature  slows  the  movement  (magnetic  Field  Strength  and  Low 
Temperatures). Slower movement leads to more fixed directions in terms of the domains. 

In  the 1800’s, Pier4re Curie discovered that there exists a temperature at which objects that 
were  previously  permanently  magnetic  lose  this  characteristic  .  The  temperature  at  which 
this  demagnetization  occurs  is  called  the  “Curie  point”.  As  the  temperature  of  the  magnet 
approaches  this  point,  the  alignment  of  each  domain  decreases.  As  such,  the  magnetism 
decreases  until  the  Curie  point  is  reached,  at  which  time  the  material  becomes 
paramagnetic. 

Scientific Terms 
1. Magnet 
2. Magnetic field 
3. Permanent magnet 
4. Electromagnet 
5. Curie Temperature  

 
6 
  
 

OBJECTIVE 

The  objective  of  this  project is to determine the effect of temperature on the magnetic field 

strength of a magnet.  

HYPOTHESIS  

It  is  believed  that  the  colder  the  magnet,  the  stronger  the  magnetic  force.  Graphically,  the 
results  will  resemble  an  exponential  curve,  with  magnetic  force  decreases  as  temperature 
increases.  Our  independent variable is temperature. Our dependent variable is magnetism; 
this  will  be  calculated  using  the  amount  of  paper  clips  that  the  magnet  is  able  to  collect at 
each measured temperature 

 
7 
  
 

MATERIALS REQUIRED 

1. Safety glasses 
2. 5 permanent bar magnets 
3. Tongs for magnet 
4. Ice 
5. Water 
6. Insulating container 
7. Three strong bowls 
8. Small pot 
9. Burner for heating water or oven 
10. Paper clips(1000) 
11. 5 magnets 
12. 200 "M4" steel washers 
13. 1 flat tray 
14. hot plate 
15. infrared thermometer 
16. refrigerator 
17. 1 pair of gloves 

 
8 
  
 

THEORY 

A  magnet  is  a  material  or  object  that  produces  a  magnetic  field.  This  magnetic  field  is 
invisible  but  is  responsible  for  the  most  notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on 
other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets. 

A  permanent  magnet  is  an  object  made  from  a  material  that  is  magnetized  and creates its 
own  persistent  magnetic  field.  An  everyday  example  is  a  refrigerator  magnet  used  to  hold 
notes  on  the  refrigerator  door.  Materials  that  can  be  magnetized,  which  are  also  the  ones 
that  are  strongly  attracted  to  a  magnet,  are  called  ferromagnetic  (or  ferrimagnetic).  These 
include  iron,  nickel,  cobalt,  some  alloys  of  rare  earth  metals,  and  some  naturally  occurring 
minerals  such  as  lodestone.  Although  ferromagnetic  (and  ferrimagnetic)  materials  are  the 
only  ones  attracted  to  a  magnet  strongly  enough  to be commonly considered magnetic, all 
other  substances  respond  weakly  to  a  magnetic  field,  by  one  of  several  other  types  of 
magnetism. 

Ferromagnetic  materials  can  be  divided  into  magnetically  "soft"  materials  like  annealed 
iron,  which  can be magnetized but do not tend to stay magnetized, and magnetically "hard" 
materials,  which  do.  Permanent  magnets  are  made  from  "hard"  ferromagnetic  materials 
such  as  alnico  and  ferrite  that  are  subjected  to  special  processing  in  a  powerful  magnetic 
field  during  manufacture,  to  align  their  internal  microcrystalline  structure,  making  them 
very  hard  to  demagnetize.  To  demagnetize  a  saturated  magnet,  a  certain  magnetic  field 
must  be  applied,  and  this  threshold  depends  on  coercivity  of  the  respective  material. 
"Hard" materials have high coercivity, whereas "soft" materials have low coercivity. 

The  overall  strength  of  a  magnet  is measured by its magnetic moment or, alternatively, the 

total  magnetic  flux  it  produces.  The  local  strength  of  magnetism  in  a  material  is measured 
by its magnetization. 

 
 
9 
  
 

PROCEDURE -I 

Cold Process 

1. Place paperclips in bowl. 

2. Situate scale near bowl. 

3. Weigh magnet and record. 

4. Place magnet and freezer thermometer in freezer set to lowest temperature possible. 

5. Wait approximately 20 minutes for the magnet to reach the temperature of the freezer. 

6. Record temperature read by freezer thermometer. 

7. Place magnet in bowl filled with paperclips. 

8. Remove magnet and attached paperclips and place on scale. 

9. Record temperature of magnet and grams attracted. 

10.  Subtract  the  weight  of  the  magnet  from  the  weight  of  the  magnet  and  the  paperclips 
combined. 

11. Remove paperclips and place back in bowl. 

12. Set freezer to 5-Celsius degrees higher than previous temperature. 

(Note: freezer accuracy is dubious. Use temperature read by freezer thermometer) 

13. Repeat steps 4-12 until freezer and magnet have reached zero degrees Celsius. 

 
10 
  
 

Hot Process 

1. Place paperclips in the bowl. 

2. Situate scale near bowl. 

3. Weigh magnet and record. 

4. Place magnet in oven set to highest temperature possible. 

5. Wait approximately 20 minutes for the magnet to reach the temperature of the 

oven. 

6. Place magnet in bowl filled with paperclips. 

7. Remove magnet and attached paperclips and place on scale. Record temperature of 

magnet and grams attracted. 

8. Subtract the weight of the magnet from the weight of the magnet and the 

paperclips combined. 

9. Remove paperclips and place back in bowl. 

10. Allow magnet to rest for 5 minutes undisturbed. 

11. Repeat steps 6-11 until magnet reaches room temperature. 

 
11 
  
 

OBSERVATION-I 

Magnets Under Extreme Heat 

 

Time after removal from oven (minutes)  Weight attracted (in grams) 

0  200 

5  200 

10  240 

20  210 

25  230 

30  220 

35  206 

40  204 

45  200 

50  185 

 
12 
  
 

Magnets Under Extreme Cold 

 

Temperature  Weight attracted (in grams) 

-21.3  275 

-19.4  275 

-18.4  265 

-15.3  270 

-13.7  260 

-6.7  245 

-4.6  220 

-1.7  200 

0  225 

 
13 
  
 

 
14 
 
  
 

PROCEDURE-II 

1. The  independent  variable  is  the  temperature  of  the  magnet  -  0  °C,  25  °C,  50  °C,  75 

°C  and  100  °C.  The  dependent  variable  is  the number of steel washers picked up by 

the  magnet.  This  is  determined  by  counting  the  number  of  steel  washers  that  stick 

to  the  magnet.  The  constants  (control  variables)  are  the  size  of  the  magnet and the 

weight of the steel washers. 

2. Five  magnets  are  kept  in  the  freezer  of  the  refrigerator overnight, in order for them 

to stabilize at 0 °C for use in the experiment. 

3. The  next  day,  200  steel  washers  are  spread  over  a  flat  tray.  The  5  magnets  are 

removed  from  the  refrigerator  and  their  temperatures  are  measured  using  the 

infrared  thermometer.  Be  sure  to  set  the  thermometer  to  be  able  to  detect 

"surface"  temperature,  rather  than  "body"  temperature.  Wearing  gloves,  grab  a 

magnet  and  place  it  over  the  washers  in  the  tray  to  pick  up  as  many  washers  as 

possible.  The  results  are  recorded  in  the  table  given  below  for  each  of  the  5 

magnets. 

4. The  5  magnets  are  placed  on  the  hot  plate  until  a temperature of 25 °C is reached. 

Procedure 3 is repeated using the same 5 magnets and the number of steel washers 

picked up is recorded in the table below. 

5. Procedures  4  and  3  are  repeated  by  bringing  the  temperature  of  the  magnet  to  50 

°C,  75  °C  and  100  °C,  by  placing  them  on  the  hot  plate.  The  results  are  recorded  in 

the table given below. 

 
15 
  
 

OBSERVATION-II 

It was observed that as the magnet’s temperature was increased, the number of washers 
picked up by the magnets reduced. 

Magnet  Number of washer picked up by the magnets at different 

temperatures 

0​0​C  25​0​C  50​0​C  75​0​C  100​0 

1  27  23  19  11  6 

2  32  27  24  14  9 

3  35  30  26  16  10 

4  29  25  21  13  7 

5  26  21  17  10  5 

The graph below represents the results of the experiment: 

 
16 
  
 

 
17 
  
 

CONCLUSION 

Magnetic materials should maintain a balance between temperature and magnetic 

domains (the atoms’ inclination to spin in a certain direction). When exposed to extreme 
temperatures, however, this balance is destabilized; magnetic properties are then affected. 
While cold strengthens magnets, heat can result in the loss of magnetic properties. In other 
words, too much heat can completely ruin a magnet. Excessive heat causes atoms to move 
more rapidly, disturbing the magnetic domains. As the atoms are sped up, the percentage 
of magnetic domains spinning in the same direction decreases. This lack of cohesion 
weakens the magnetic force and eventually demagnetizes it entirely. 

In contrast, when a magnet is exposed to extreme cold, the atoms slow 

down so the magnetic domains are aligned and, in turn, strengthened. 

Ferromagnetism 

The way in which specific materials form permanent magnets or interact strongly with 
magnets. Most everyday magnets are a product of ferromagnetism. 

Paramagnetism 

A type of magnetism that occurs only in the presence of an external magnetic field. They 
are attracted to magnetic fields, but they are not magnetized when the external field is 
removed. That's because the atoms spin in random directions; the spins aren’t aligned, and 
the total magnetization is zero.Aluminum and oxygen are two examples of materials that 
are paramagnetic at room temperature. 

Curie Temperature 

Named for the French physicist Pierre Curie, the Curie Temperature is the temperature at 
which no magnetic domain can exist because the atoms are too frantic to maintain aligned 
spins. At this temperature, the ferromagnetic material becomes paramagnetic. Even if you 
cool the magnet, once it has become demagnetized, it will not become magnetized again. 
Different magnetic materials have different Curie Temperatures, but the average is about 
600 to 800 degrees Celsius. 

 
18 
  
 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet 
2. http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy00/phy00146.htm 
3. http://www.howmagnetswork.com/ 
4. www.icbse.com 
5. www.sciencebuddies.com 
6. www.technopedia.com 
7. NCERT Physics book 
8. www.howmagnetswork.com 

 
19 
  
 

 
20 
  
 

 
21