Magnetic declination is the angle between magnetic north (the direction the north end of a compass needle points)

and true north. The declination is positive when the magnetic north is east of true north. The term magnetic variation is a synonym, and is more often used in navigation. Isogonic lines are where the declination has the same value, and the lines where the declination is zero are called agonic lines. Somewhat more formally, Bowditch defines variation as the angle between the magnetic and geographic meridians at any place, expressed in degrees and minutes east or west to indicate the direction of magnetic north from true north. The angle between magnetic and grid meridians is called grid magnetic angle, grid variation, or grivation. Called magnetic variation when a distinction is needed to prevent possible ambiguity. Also called magnetic declination.

MAGNETIC DECLINATION

Magnetic declination is the difference between true north (the axis around which the earth rotates) and magnetic north (the direction the needle of a compass will point). It is usually printed on the map to the left of the scale bar at the bottom of a USGS 7.5' quadrangle. After finding the declination on the map, you need to transfer the information to your compass before you ever take it into the field. If you fail to do this, any readings you get from your compass will be in error and you may wind up far from where you want to be (in other words, LOST ! ! !). Magnetic north is determined by the earth's magnetic field and is not the same as true (or geographic) north. The location of the magnetic north pole changes slowly over time, but it is currently northwest of Hudson's Bay in northern Canada (approximately 700 km [450 mi] from the true north pole). Maps are based on the geographic north pole because it does not change over time, so north is always at the top of a quadrangle map.

However, if you were to walk a straight line following the direction your compass needle indicated as north, you would find that you didnt go from south to north on the map. Howfar your path varied from true north would depend on where you started from. The angle between a straight north-south line and the line you walked is the magnetic declination in the area you were walking. In the example figure, if you walked 1.25 miles toward magnetic north(i.e. you followed your

compass without adjusting for magnetic declination) you would end up 1/3 of a mile away from where you would be if you walked 1.25 miles toward true north. Fortunately, magnetic declination has been measured throughout the U.S. and can be corrected for on your compass (see below). This map shows lines of equal magnetic declination throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The line of zero declination runs from magnetic north through Lake Superior and across the western panhandle of Florida. Along this line, true north is the same as magnetic north. If you are working west of the line of zero declination, your compass will give a reading that is east of true north. Conversely, if you are working east of the line of zero declination, your compass reading will be west of true north. The exact amount that you need to adjust the declination on your compass to reconcile magnetic north to true north is given in the map legend to the left of the map scale.

Setting Magnetic Declination on Your Compass

If you are using a Brunton compass, you set the magnetic declination by turning the declination setting screw on the side of the compass until the reading on the graduated circle in the compass lines up with the index pin at the top of the compass at the proper declination. For many other types of compasses you can set the declination by simply rotating the graduated circle on the outside of the compass until it lines up with the indicator marker at the top of the compass at the proper declination. If neither of these methods seems to work with your compass, check with the users manual that came with your compass, as it should have instructions on setting the declination. Once you have set the declination on your compass, any reading you obtain from it will be accurate. In southern Idaho, for instance, the magnetic declination varies from roughly 14.5E to 17E. So, after setting the declination at 16, when you line your compass up with 0 it will be pointing to true north but it will appear to be 16 off from the N printed on your compass. A word of caution here: be sure that you set your declination in the proper direction (east in Idaho). If you set it to 16W rather than east, you will be off by 32 in all of your measurements, rather than the 16 you would be off if you hadnt adjusted it at all. To make sure you have set your declination properly, orient your compass so that the north end of the needle is lined up with the 0 mark on the graduated circle. If you are located west of the line of zero declination, then the index pin or marker on your compass should be west of the 0 marker on the graduated circle (and vice-versa if you are east of the line of zero declination).

MAGNETIC DOMAIN! MAGNETIC DOMAIN After completing this section you will be able to do the following:

Define a magnetic domain. Explain one way an object can be magnetized.

A magnetic domain is region in which the magnetic fields of atoms are grouped together and aligned. In the experiment below, the magnetic domains are indicated by the arrows in the metal material. You can think of magnetic domains as miniature magnets within a material. In an unmagnetized object, like the initial piece of metal in our experiment, all the magnetic domains are pointing in different directions. But, when the metal became magnetized, which is what happens when it is rubbed with a strong magnet, all like magnetic poles lined up and pointed in the same direction. The metal became a magnet. It would quickly become unmagnetized when its magnetic domains returned to a random order. The metal in our experiment is a soft ferromagnetic material, which means that it is easily magnetized but may not retain its magnetism very long. Questions 1. What happened to the piece of metal when you rubbed a strong magnet across it the first time? The second time? 2. What do the arrows in the material represent? 3. Why do they become lined up when the magnet is brought in contact with the metal? 4. If you wanted to turn a paper clip into a magnet, how do you think you could do it?

How can you turn a paper clip into a magnet? You can turn a paper clip into a magnet by rubbing a strong magnet several times over the surface of the paper clip. The more you drag the magnet over the paper clip, the stronger the paper clip will become magnetized. The same thing happened with the metal in the experiment. When we rubbed the magnet over the surface of the metal, some of the magnetic domains aligned and the metal became partially magnetized. When we rubbed the magnet over the metal a second time, more of the magnetic domains became aligned and the metal became a stronger magnet. What is different about ferromagnetic materials that make them strongly magnetic? In ferromagnetic materials, the magnetic moments of a relatively large number of atoms are aligned parallel to each other to create areas of strong magnetization within the material. These areas, which

are approximately a millimeter in size, contain billions of aligned atoms and are called magnetic domains. Magnetic domains are always present in ferromagnetic materials due to the way the atoms bond to form the material. However, when a ferromagnetic material is in the unmagnetized condition, the magnetic domains are randomly oriented so that the magnetic field strength in the piece of material is zero. In the unmagnetized condition, the material will be attracted to a magnet but will not act as a magnet. That is to say, two unmagnetized pieces of ferromagnetic material will not be attracted to each other. When a ferromagnetic material is magnetized, the magnetic domains align parallel to each other to produce a large net field strength in the material and the material becomes magnetic.

Magnetic Domains Ferromagnetic materials get their magnetic properties not only because their atoms carry a magnetic moment but also because the material is made up of small regions known as magnetic domains. In each domain, all of the atomic dipoles are coupled together in a preferential direction. This alignment develops as the material develops its crystalline structure during solidification from the molten state. Magnetic domains can be detected using Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) and images of the domains like the one shown below can be constructed.

Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) image showing the magnetic domains in a piece of heat treated carbon steel.

During solidification, a trillion or more atom moments are aligned parallel so that the magnetic force within the domain is strong in one direction. Ferromagnetic materials are said to be characterized by "spontaneous magnetization" since they obtain saturation magnetization in each of the domains without an external magnetic field being applied. Even though the domains are magnetically saturated, the bulk material may not show any signs of magnetism because the domains develop themselves and are randomly oriented relative to each other.

Ferromagnetic materials become magnetized when the magnetic domains within the material are aligned. This can be done by placing the material in a strong external magnetic field or by passing electrical current through the material. Some or all of the domains can become aligned. The more domains that are aligned, the stronger the magnetic field in the material. When all of the domains are aligned, the material is said to be magnetically saturated. When a material is magnetically saturated, no additional amount of external magnetization force will cause an increase in its internal level of magnetization.

Unmagnetized Material

Magnetized Material

The following 17 pages are in this category, out of 17 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).

C
Chromium(IV) oxide Cobalt

G
Gadolinium Gallium manganese arsenide

P
Permalloy

R
Rare-earth magnet

D
Dysprosium

I
Iron

S
Samariumcobalt magnet Suessite

F
Ferrite (iron) Ferrite (magnet) Ferromagnetic material properties

M
Magnetite

N
Neodymium magnet Nickel

Y
Yttrium iron garnet

Magnet therapy, magnetic therapy, or magnotherapy is an alternative medicine practice involving the use of static magnetic fields. Practitioners claim that subjecting certain parts of the body to magnetostatic fields produced by permanent magnets has beneficial health effects. These pseudoscientific physical and biological claims are unproven and no effects on health or healing have been [1][2][3] established. Although hemoglobin, the blood protein that carries oxygen, is weakly diamagnetic and is repulsed by magnetic fields, the magnets used in magnetic therapy are many orders of magnitude too weak to have any measurable effect on blood flow.

Methods of application

Magnetite ring

Magnet therapy is the application of the magnetic field of electromagnetic devices or permanent static magnets to the body for purported health benefits. Some practitioners assign different effects based on [5][6] the orientation of the magnet; under the laws of physics, magnetic poles are symmetric. Products include magnetic bracelets and jewelry; magnetic straps for wrists, ankles, knees, and the back; shoe insoles; mattresses; magnetic blankets (blankets with magnets woven into the material); magnetic [7] [8] creams; magnetic supplements; ; plasters/patches and water that has been "magnetized". Application [9] is usually performed by the patient. [edit]Purported

mechanisms of action

Perhaps the most common suggested mechanism is that magnets might improve blood flow in underlying tissues. The field surrounding magnet therapy devices is far too weak and falls off with distance far too quickly to appreciably affect hemoglobin, other blood components, muscle tissue, bones, blood vessels, [1][10] or organs. A 1991 study on humans of static field strengths up to 1 T found no effect on local blood [4][11] [10] flow. Tissue oxygenation is similarly unaffected. Some practitioners claim that the magnets can restore the body's theorized "electromagnetic energy balance", but no such balance is medically recognized. Even in the magnetic fields used in magnetic resonance imaging, which are many times [12] stronger, none of the claimed effects are observed. [edit]Efficacy Several studies have been conducted in recent years to investigate what, if any, role static magnetic fields may play in health and healing. Unbiased studies of magnetic therapy are problematic, since magnetisation can be easily detected, for instance, by the attraction forces on ferrous (iron-containing)

objects; because of this, effective blinding of studies (where neither patients nor assessors know who is [13] receiving treatment versus placebo) is difficult. Incomplete or insufficient blinding tends to exaggerate [14] treatment effects, particularly where any such effects are small. Health claims such as longevity and [10][15] cancer treatment are implausible and unsupported by any research. More mundane health claims, most commonly pain relief, also lack any credible proposed mechanism, and clinical research is not [9][16][17] promising. [edit]Pain Effects of magnet therapy on pain relief beyond non-specific placebo response have not been adequately demonstrated. A 2008 systematic review of magnet therapy for all indications found no evidence of an [16] effect for pain relief. It reported that small sample sizes, inadequate randomization, and difficulty with allocation concealment all tend to bias studies positively and limit the strength of any conclusions. In 2009 the results of a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial on the use of magnetic wrist straps (a leather strap with a magnetic insert) for osteoarthritis were published, addressing a gap in the earlier systematic review. This trial showed that magnetic wrist straps are ineffective in the management of pain, stiffness and physical function in osteoarthritis. The authors concluded that "[r]eported benefits [18][19] are most likely attributable to non-specific placebo effects". [edit]Safety These devices are generally considered safe in themselves, though there can be significant financial and opportunity costs to magnet therapy, especially when treatment or diagnosis are avoided or [9][15][16] delayed. The worldwide magnet therapy industry totals sales of over a billion dollars per year, [13] million dollars per year in the United States alone.
[10][15]

including $300

A 2002 U.S. National Science Foundation report on public attitudes and understanding of science noted [20] that magnet therapy is "not at all scientific." A number of vendors make unsupported claims about magnet therapy by using pseudoscientific and new-age language. Such claims are unsupported by the [17] results of scientific and clinical studies. [edit]Legal

regulations

Marketing of any therapy as effective treatment for any condition is heavily restricted by law in many jurisdictions unless all such claims are scientifically validated. In the United States, for example,U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations prohibit marketing any magnet therapy product using medical claims, [21] as such claims are unfounded.