MAGNETIS

M
PROPERTIES OF MAGNETS
Magnets have two poles north and south pole.

A magnet arracks magnetic materials such as

iron, cobalt nickel and steel.
Like poles of the magnets repel each other.

Unlike poles of the magnets attract each

other.
Around the magnet there are magnetic field
lines starting from north pole and ends at south
pole.
PLOTTING MAGNETIC FIELD LINES
You will need
• a bar magnet
• a plotting compass
• plain paper, a pencil

What to do
1 Place the magnet in the centre of the sheet of paper and
draw round it.
2 Place the compass near one of the poles of the magnet.
Mark dots 1 and 2 on the paper to indicate the two ends
of the compass needle.
3 Move the compass away from the magnet and position it so
that one end of its needle is marked by dot 2. Mark dot 3 at
the other end. 
4 Continue this process, until you have moved round to the
other pole of the magnet.
 
5 Remove the compass. The sequence of dots shows one of
the field lines of the magnet’s field. Draw a smooth line
through the dots.

6 Repeat the process, starting at a slightly different position,

to obtain another field line.
INDUCED MAGNETISM
A permanent can attract or repel another permanent
magnet. It can also attract other unmagnetised magnetic
materials. For example a permanent magnet can attract
steel pins, paper clips or iron nails.
What is going on here? Paper clips are made up of a
magnetic material. When the south pole of the magnet is
brought closed to a clip the clip is attracted. The attraction
tell us that the end of the paper clip nearest magnetic pole
must be a north pole as shown below. This is known as
induced magnetism. When the permanent magnet is
removed, the pin will return to its unmagnetised state.
MAGNETIC MATERIALS
Materials that attract the magnets and can be magnetised.
Eg: iron, steel, cobalt, nickel etc..
NON-MAGNETIC MATERIALS
Materials that do not attract the magnets.
Eg: brass, copper, zinc, tin, aluminum and as well as non
metals.
MAGNETISED MATERIALS
Materials which acts as magnets and having all magnetic
properties.
MAGNETIC EFFECT OF A CURRENT
Magnetic field due to current in straight wires
When an electric current is passed through a wire, as shown
below, a weak magnetic field is produced around the wire.

If the current through the wire increases the strength of

magnetic field also increases.
If the direction of current flowing through the wire
changes the direction of magnetic field around the wire
also change.
So the direction of magnetic field produce by a current is
given by the right-hand grip rule as shown below. Imagine
gripping the wire with your right hand so that your thumb
points in the conventional direction. Your fingers then
point in the same direction as the field lines.
Magnetic field due to current in solenoid
A current produces a stronger magnetic field if the wire it
flows through is wound into a coil. The diagram below
shows the magnetic field patterns produced by current
carrying coil. A long coil is called solenoid.
If the current through the solenoid increases, the
strength of magnetic field also increases.
If we increases the number of terns in the solenoid, the
strength of magnetic field also increases.
If the direction of current flowing through the solenoid
changes, the field around the solenoid and the poles of
solenoid also changes.
So to work out which way round the poles are, we can use
another right-hand grip rule, as shown below. Imagine the
gripping the coil with your right hand so that your fingers
point in the conventional current direction. Your thumb
then points towards the North pole of the coil.
METHODS OF MAGNATISATION
Magnetising by electrical method
1. A steel bar is placed inside a solenoid through which a
direct current passed for a while.
2. A strong magnetic field is produced and the steel bar is
magnetised.
3. When viewed at one end of the bar, the current flows in
clockwise direction that end becomes a South pole. If
current flows anti-clockwise direction, it becomes a North
pole. And we can easily find the poles by using right hand
grip rule.
Magnetising by stroking method
A piece of the material may be stroked with a permanent
magnet. By stroking it consistently from one end to another
(never going in the reverse direction), it becomes
magnetised.
METHODS OF DEMAGNATISATION
Demagnetising by an Alternating current
1. A magnet to be demagnetized is places inside a solenoid.
2. The solenoid is connected to an a.c. supply.
3. The magnet is withdrawn far away through the solenoid
in the east-west direction while the a.c. current still
flowing.
4. As the process is repeated, the magnet will be
demagnetised.
Demagnetising by heating
If we heat a magnet strongly by means of bunsen flame, the
magnet will lose its magnetisation.

Demagnetising by hammering
As in the case of heating, hammering also cause a magnet
to lose its magnetism. If the magnet is hammered
vigorously while lying in an east west direction, its
magnetism become weaker and weaker.
PROPERTIES OF TEMPORARY MAGNETS AND
PERMANENT MAGNETS
Temporary magnets Permanent magnets
(eg. Iron) (eg. Steel)

Soft magnetic material Hard magnetic material

Easy to magnetise and Harder to magnetise and
demagnetise ( lose its demagnetise (can retain its
magnetism easily) magnetism)
Used to make Used to make permanent
electromagnets magnets
Uses: transformers, Uses: D.C motors, A.C
audio/video tape, electric generators, galvanometers,
bells, magnetic relays, loud speakers and
reed relays magnetic door catches.
APPLICATION OF THE MAGNETIC EFFECT OF
A CURRENT
Magnetic relay
A magnetic relay is a switch operated by an electromagnet. With a relay
a small switch with thin wires can be used to turn on the current in a
much more powerful circuit – for example, one with large electric
motor in it.
When the switch S in the input circuit is closed, a current flows
through electromagnet and it will magnetised. This pulls the iron
armature towards it, which closes the contact C. As a result current
flows through the output circuit and motor turn on.
Circuit breaker
A circuit breaker is a automatic switch which cuts off the
current in a circuit if this rises above a specific value.
In the type shown below, the current flows through two
contacts and also through an electromagnet. If the current
gets too high, the pull of electromagnet becomes strong
enough to release the iron armature, so the contact open
and stop the current. Pressing the reset button closes the
contact again.
Loud speaker
Most loudspeakers are of the moving-coil type shown
below. The cylindrical magnet produces a strong radial
(‘spoke-like’) magnetic field at right angles to the wire in
the coil. The coil is free to move backwards and forwards
and is attached to a stiff paper or plastic cone. If a current
is passed through the coil, a backward and forward force
acts on it; this follows from Flemings left hand rule.
The loud speaker is connected to an amplifier which gives
out alternating current. This flows backwards, forwards,
backwards… and so on, causing a force on the coil which is
also backwards, forwards, backwards…. As a result, the
cone vibrates and gives out sound waves. The nature of
sound produced depends on the frequency and amplitude
of the alternating current flowing through the coil.
Tape recorder
A sound wave sent into a microphone is transformed into
an electric current (alternative current), amplified, and
allowed to pass through a wire coiled around a doughnut-
shaped piece of iron, which functions as the recording
head. The iron ring and the wire constitute an
electromagnet, in which the lines of the magnetic field are
contained completely inside the iron except at the point
where a slot is cut in the ring. Here the magnetic field
fringes out of the iron and magnetizes the small pieces of
iron oxide embedded in the tape. As the tape moves past
the slot, it becomes magnetized in a pattern that
reproduces both the frequency and the intensity of the
sound signal entering the microphone.
Magnetic screening or magnetic shielding
Magnetic screening is protecting delicate instruments from
stray magnetic fields by placing delicate instrument inside
the soft iron box. Since the soft iron is a magnetic material,
so stray magnetic field lines can go through the soft iron as
shown below. But the field lines cannot reach into delicate
instrument it will protect the layer of soft iron around it.