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MAGNETISM
Properties of Magnets;
1. All magnets have two poles. These are the north pole ( N pole) and the south pole ( S pole).These
two poles can NOT exist independently.

2. All magnets obey the Law Of Magnetic Poles which states that “Like poles repel and unlike poles
attract”.

3. All magnets attract magnetic materials. These include iron, cobalt, nickel and alloys like
alcomax, alnico and steel.

4. A freely suspended magnet always comes to rest with its north pole pointing towards the earth’s
north pole and its south pole pointing towards the south pole.

Magnetic And Non-Magnetic Materials

Magnetic materials are those which can be attracted by magnets while non-magnetic materials can not.

Magnetic materials are used to make magnets because they can acquire magnetism. They can be divided
into two groups. These are Hard Magnetic materials and Soft Magnetic materials.

Hard magnetic materials are difficult to magnetise and demagnetize. They are used to make permanent
magnets. Examples include steel, alcomax, alnico etc.

Soft magnetic materials are easy to magnetise and demagnetize. They are used to make temporary
magnets. Examples include iron, cobalt and nickel.

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Induced magnetism
When a piece of an iron bar is brought very close to some iron filings, there is no attraction between
them.

However if a magnet is brought close to the iron bar it is seen to immediately attract the iron filings.

The iron bar behaves like a magnet if and only if it is still attached to a permanent magnet. This is called
induced magnetism.

When the magnet is removed the iron fillings quickly drop away. This is because iron is a soft magnetic
material. If a steel bar is used the iron filings will stay attached to the steel bar for a little longer after
removing the permanent magnet.

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Magnetisation
There are two methods of magnetisation. These are Stroking and use of Electricity.

Stroking method

The steel rod is stroked from end to end about 20-30 times in the same direction by the same pole of the
magnet.

The pole induced at the end of the rod where stroking begins is the same pole as the stroking pole. In the
diagram above end B will become the South pole. If the rod was stroked with the north pole then end B
will become the North pole. The poles can also be identified using the law of magnetic poles.

Electricity method

A steel rod is placed inside a solenoid (a coil wound with 500 or more turns of insulated wire) which is
connected to a direct current(dc) supply. The switch is then closed for a few seconds. The rod will be
found to be magnetized. The polarity of the magnet is given by the right hand grip rule [if the fingers
grip the solenoid in the direction of the current, the thumb points to the North Pole].

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In the diagram above P is the _______________ pole while Q is the ______________ pole

Demagnetisation
Electrical Method

The magnet is placed inside a solenoid which is connected to an alternating current supply. While the
current is on, the magnet is slowly removed from the solenoid to some 2-3 metres away from solenoid.

Other Methods

Magnets can also be demagnetized by heating and hammering as well as poor storage.

Magnetic Saturation
All magnetic materials are assumed to be made up of tiny magnets called magnetic domains. When the
domains are haphazardly aligned then the material does not exhibit the properties of a magnet.

If some of the the domains are aligned in the same direction, then the magnetic material starts acting like
a magnet. If all domains are aligned in the same direction then Magnetic Saturation has been acquired as
shown below.

Magnetic saturation is the point beyond which the strength of the magnet can NOT be increased.

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Magnetic Fields
A magnetic field is the region within which a magnet exerts its magnetic force.

Magnetic field lines

Magnetic filed lines or lines of force are used to illustrate the magnetic field around a magnet.

 They begin at the N-pole and end at the S-pole

 They do not cross

 They are concentrated at the poles.

Field around a single magnet

Field between unlike poles

Field between similar poles

X refers to a point where the net field is zero. This point is called the neutral point.

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The magnetic field around a magnet can be detected using using a plotting campus as well as iron filings.

Using a plotting campus

Lay a bar of magnet on a sheet of paper. Place a plotting compass at a point near one of the poles of the
magnet.

Mark the position pointed by the arrow of the ploting compass. Move the compass so that the beginning
of the arrow is exactly over the position you marked. Mark the new position pointed by the compass
arrow. Continue the process until the south pole of the magnet is reached .Join the dots to give one line of
force and show the direction of the field or force by putting arrows on it.

Iron filling method

A plain paper is placed above a magnet and iron fillings are sprinkled on top of the paper. The iron
fillings should form a pattern of the field lines of force.

Electromagnets
An electromagnet is a solenoid connected to a power supply. An electromagnet is a temporary magnet. Its
magnetism can be switched on and off. Its polarity can be determined using the right hand grip rule.

The electromagnet’s magnetism can be enhanced by inserting a soft iron core in the coil.

The strength of the electromagnet can be increased by either

 increasing the current in the coil

 increasing the number of turns in the coil
 bringing the poles closer to each other.

Electromagnets are used for;

1 Lifting scrap metal

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2 Tape recording
3 Relay switch
A relay is a switching device where a smaller current is used to switch a larger current on(or off).
It consists of an electromagnet which operates the switch. A relay has at least two circuits: One
works with small current and the other with the larger current.
In the diagram below, a relay is used to operate an electric motor.

When the switch is closed, current flows through the coil. The core of the relay is then
magnetised. The relay core then attracts the top part of the armature. The armature pivots
and then pushes the contacts close. A current flows through the motor, making it work.
4 Electric bell

When the switch is closed, current flows through the solenoids. The soft iron cores are then
magnetized. The electromagnets then attract the soft-iron armature. The hammer hits the gong
and a sound is produced.
The movement of the soft-iron armature breaks the contacts and the circuit is cut off. The
electromagnets lose their magnetism and no longer attracts the soft-iron armature. The spring
pulls the soft-iron armature back, which closes the contacts and as such completes the
circuit again. This cycle will repeat for so long as the switch is closed, thus the bell will ring.

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5 Reed relay switches

A reed relay switch uses the same principle as an ordinary relay switch in that one circuit controls
another. In a reed relay, strips of wires are placed inside a solenoid. These strips are called reeds
and are made of soft magnetic materials.

In the diagram below, a relay reed is used to control a motor M. WX and YZ are reeds placed
inside a solenoid.

When the switch is closed, the magnetic field produced magnetizes the reeds. The poles at the
ends of the reeds are opposite to each other. Ends Z and X become opposite poles. The same
applies to ends W and Z. As a consequence, the two reeds attract each other and then close the
other circuit as shown below.

Magnetic shielding /screening

When a short iron bar is placed in a magnet field, the field appears to be drawn towards the bar and
concentrated through it. Most of the magnetic field seems to pass through the bar since iron is a soft
magnetic material. If an iron ring is placed in a magnetic field, the field does not pass inside the ring,

Thus iron rings and iron boxes can be used to protect equipment that can be affected by magnetic fields.
This is known as magnetic shielding/screening.

leemok productions 2011© notes: MAGNETISM