Magnetism

Unit 20: Magnetism
12 July 2010
Unit 20.1: Magnets and Materials
Learning Outcome
In this section, you’ll be able to:
• State the properties of magnets
Copyright © 2006-2011 Marshall Cavendish International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. 12 July 2010
What materials are magnetic?
• Materials that are attracted by magnets are called
magnetic or ferromagnetic materials.
• E.g. cobalt, nickel, iron and steel.
• Materials that are not attracted by magnets are called

non-magnetic materials.
• E.g. brass, copper, wood and plastics.
• A material that retains its magnetism for a long time is

called a permanent magnet.
• They are usually made of steel and alloys like alnico

and alcomax.
• Another type of permanent magnet is made from

ferrites.
Right or Wrong?
• Magnet can attract all kinds of metal
RECALL----Unit 16.3: Electric Field
Representing the electric field
• An electric field can be illustrated by drawing
lines with arrows which are called electric lines
of force.
• The direction of the field is defined as the
direction of the force on a small positive
charge.
Fig. 16.22(a) Field lines of a Fig. 16.22(b) Field lines of

positive charge. a negative charge.
Unit 20.4: Magnetic Fields
Learning Outcomes
• Draw magnetic field patterns
• Describe the plotting of magnetic field lines
with a compass
What are magnetic fields?
• It is a region in which a magnetic object, placed
within the influence of the field, experiences a
magnetic force.
• The magnetic field can be revealed by sprinkling
iron filings lightly around it.
Fig. 20.26 The magnetic field pattern of a bar magnet made

visible by sprinkling iron filings around it
Field Patterns
Magnetic field lines between magnets
1. Magnetic field pattern between the N pole
and the S pole
Fig. 20.31(a) Magnetic field Fig. 20.31(b) Magnetic field

lines between the N pole and pattern revealed by iron filings
the S pole between the N pole and the S pole
Field Patterns
2. Magnetic field pattern between two N poles
Fig. 20.32(a) Magnetic field lines Fig. 20.32(b) Magnetic field

between two N poles. Point X is pattern revealed by iron filings
the neutral point. between N poles
• Point X is the neutral point because the fields

from both magnets cancel out each other.
• If a compass is placed at X, it will point in any
arbitrary direction.
20.4 Magnetic Fields
Magnetic field patterns between bar magnets
Fig. 20.33 Magnetic field patterns between magnets
Similarities – magnet VS electric charge
• Attract and repel without touching
• Like poles/charges repel ; unlike attract
• Strength of their interaction depends on the
separation distance between them
• Electric field/force begin from electric charge ;
magnetic field/force begin from magnetic
poles
Differences – magnet VS electric charge

• Electric charges can be isolated (+/- exist by
itself) but magnetic poles cannot (can’t have
N pole or S pole alone!)
Properties of magnets
1. Magnetic poles
• The two ends of the bar magnet where the

magnetic effects are the strongest, are called
the poles of the magnets.
• Most of the iron filings are attracted to the
poles of the magnets.
• Exception: fridge magnet

• No distinct N and S poles
• Narrow strips of alternating N and S poles
• Short range because N and S poles cancel
2. North and South poles
• The end of a freely suspended bar magnet that points
to the northern end of the Earth is called the north-
seeking pole (i.e. north pole or N pole)
• The other end of the magnet that points to the
southern end of the Earth is called the south-seeking
pole (i.e. south pole or S pole)
Fig. 20.6 A suspended

magnet always points in
the North-South direction.
The Earth’s magnetic field
The imaginary magnet within the Earth has the
imaginary ‘S’ pole at the magnetic north and the ‘N’ pole
at the magnetic south. In this way, a free suspended
magnet will have its N pole seeking the ‘S’ pole of the
imaginary magnet and its S pole seeking the ‘N’ pole of
the imaginary magnet.
Fig. 20.34 The Earth’s magnetic field
3. Law of magnetic poles
• Like poles repel, unlike poles attract.
Fig. 20.7 Unlike poles attract Fig. 20.8 Like poles repel
How is a magnet identified?
• If an object is moved towards the N pole of a
suspended bar magnet and repulsion occurs, the
object is a magnet.
• However, if attraction occurs, we cannot conclude
that the object is a magnet.
• It may either be a magnetic material (not a
magnet) or a magnet itself with the opposite pole
on the approaching end.
• Repulsion is the only test to confirm that

an object is a magnet.
Key Ideas
1. Magnets have two poles —

north pole (N pole) and south pole (S pole).
2. Like poles repel, unlike poles attract.
3. Repulsion is the only sure test to determine

if a given material is a magnet.
Unit 20.2: Magnetic Induction
Learning Outcome
• Describe induced magnetism
How does a magnet attract iron?
• When a safety pin is brought near a
permanent magnet, it is attracted to the
magnet and has become an induced magnet.
• It is then able to attract other safety pins.
Fig. 20.11 Safety pins

attracted by a magnet
become induced magnets
and can even attract other
pins. Do you notice that the
pins at the lower ends tend
to fan apart? Why?
Side track – how to compare
strength of magnets??
Magnetic Induction
• Magnetic induction is the process of inducing
magnetism in ferromagnetic materials.
• It can also occur without any contact with the
magnet.
Fig. 20.12 Magnetic induction can happen at a distance.
Key Idea
1. Magnetic induction is the process where

ferromagnetic materials such as iron become
magnetised when they are near or in contact
with a permanent magnet.
Unit 20.3: Magnetisation and Demagnetisation
Learning Outcome
• Describe methods of magnetisation and
demagnetisation
Theory of Magnetism
• When a bar magnet is cut into many small
pieces, every piece becomes a magnet itself.
• The bar magnet is made up of many such ‘tiny
magnets’, or magnetic domains.
Fig. 20.16 Each resulting piece of the cut bar magnet is a magnet itself.
What are magnetic domains?
• The orbiting motion of electrons in a magnetic

material makes each atom an atomic magnet.
• A group of atomic magnets pointing in the

same direction is called a magnetic domain.
• In an unmagnetised bar, the magnetic
domains point in random directions.
• The magnetic effects of the atomic magnets
cancel out so there is no resultant magnetic
effect.
Fig. 20.17 An unmagnetised bar – the magnetic domains

point in random directions.
• In a permanent magnet, magnetic domains
point in the same direction.
• The atomic magnets at the ends of the bar
magnet fan out due to repulsion between like
poles.
Fig. 20.18 In a permanent magnet, the magnetic domains

point in the same direction.
The theory of magnetic domains can be used to
explain the following phenomena:
1. Magnetic saturation
• When all the magnetic domains point in the
same direction, the magnet is magnetically
saturated and cannot be any stronger.
2. Demagnetisation of magnets
• Demagnetisation is the process of removing

magnetism from a magnet (e.g. heating and
hammering).
• Cause the atoms of the magnet to vibrate

vigorously, mixing up the directions of the
magnetic domains.
3. Storage of magnets using
soft iron keepers
• Over time, magnets placed side
by side will become weaker.
• The magnetic domains will be
altered due to the repulsion
between the ‘free’ poles.
• To prevent this, bar magnets are

stored in pairs with soft iron Fig. 20.19 Soft iron
keeps help permanent
keepers across the ends of the bar magnets stay
bar magnets. strongly magnetised.
• The poles of the bar magnets are
in closed loops with no ‘free’
poles.
Ways of making magnets
1. Stroking method
• An unmagnetised steel bar is stroked several times with
the same pole of a permanent magnet from one end to
the other in one direction.
• The steel bar will become a permanent magnet due to
magnetic induction.
• The pole produced at the end of the steel bar where the
strokes finish is opposite to the stroking pole used.
Fig. 20.20 Magnetising a steel bar by stroking method

2. Electrical method using a direct current only!
• The steel bar to be magnetised is placed in a
solenoid (a cylindrical coil of insulated copper wires).
Fig. 20.21 Placing the steel bar in the solenoid with a direct
current passing through it will magnetise the steel bar.
2. Electrical method using a direct current
• When a large d.c. is passed through the solenoid, the
unmagnetised steel bar will become magnetised due to
the strong magnetic field produced. (Unit 21:
Electromagnetism)
• The poles of the magnet can be determined by the
right-hand grip rule.
Fig. 20.22 The solenoid is ‘gripped’ using the right hand with fingers
pointing in the direction of the current flow in the solenoid. The end of
the magnetised steel bar where the thumb points is the N pole.
Ways of demagnetising magnets
1. Heating
• When heated, the atoms of the magnet vibrate
vigorously, causing the magnetic domains to lose
their alignment.
2. Hammering
• This method also alters the alignment of the
magnetic domains.
Ways of demagnetising magnets
3. Electrical method using an alternating current

[more effective than using dc]
• Place a magnet inside a solenoid connected to an
alternating current (a.c.) supply. (Unit 22:
Electromagnetic Induction)
• The magnet is withdrawn [slowly] in the East-
West direction.
Fig. 20.24 Demagnetising a magnet in a solenoid with

an alternating current passing through it
Key Ideas
1. Methods of magnetising a magnet include:
• Stroking a steel bar with a permanent magnet
• Placing a steel bar in a solenoid carrying a large
direct current
2. To demagnetise a magnet, we can

• Heat the magnet.
• Hammer the magnet.
• Withdraw the magnet that is placed in a solenoid
with an alternating current.
Learning Outcomes
• Draw magnetic field patterns
• Describe the plotting of magnetic field lines
with a compass
What are magnetic fields?
• It is a region in which a magnetic object, placed
within the influence of the field, experiences a
magnetic force.
• The magnetic field can be revealed by sprinkling
iron filings lightly around it.
Fig. 20.26 The magnetic field pattern of a bar magnet made

visible by sprinkling iron filings around it
1. Magnetic field pattern between the N pole
and the S pole
Fig. 20.31(a) Magnetic field Fig. 20.31(b) Magnetic field

lines between the N pole and pattern revealed by iron filings
the S pole between the N pole and the S pole
2. Magnetic field pattern between two N poles
Fig. 20.32(a) Magnetic field lines Fig. 20.32(b) Magnetic field

between two N poles. Point X is pattern revealed by iron filings
the neutral point. between N poles
• Point X is the neutral point because the fields

from both magnets cancel out each other.
• If a compass is placed at X, it will point in any
arbitrary direction.
20.4 Magnetic Fields
Magnetic field patterns between bar magnets
Fig. 20.33 Magnetic field patterns between magnets
The Earth’s magnetic field
The imaginary magnet within the Earth has the
imaginary ‘S’ pole at the magnetic north and the ‘N’ pole
at the magnetic south. In this way, a free suspended
magnet will have its N pole seeking the ‘S’ pole of the
imaginary magnet and its S pole seeking the ‘N’ pole of
the imaginary magnet.
Fig. 20.34 The Earth’s magnetic field
Magnetic shielding
• It prevents surrounding magnetic fields from
reaching sensitive areas of a piece of equipment
whose operation may be affected by the fields.
• Thin sheets of soft magnetic materials (e.g. iron or
MuMetal®) can be used for magnetic shielding.
Fig. 20.37 Magnetic shielding Fig. 20.38 Region X within a hollow

using a sheet of iron iron container has no magnetic field
Key Ideas
1. The magnetic fields around a magnet can be
drawn with a plotting compass. The direction
of the magnetic field at a point is given by
the direction in which the compass needle is
pointing at that point.
2. Magnetic materials such as iron can be used

to provide shielding from surrounding
magnetic fields.
Unit 20.5: Temporary and Permanent Magnets
Learning Outcome
• Distinguish between the properties and uses
of temporary magnets (e.g. iron) and
permanent magnets (e.g. steel)
Magnetic properties of iron and steel
Iron Steel
• Easily magnetised • Harder to magnetise
• Does not retain its • Retains its magnetism
magnetism • Hard magnetic material
• Soft magnetic material • Used to make permanent
• Used in electromagnets magnets
and in cores of a
transformer
Uses of permanent magnets
• Moving coil ammeter
It consists of a coil suspended in the magnetic
field of a permanent magnet. When a current
flows into and out of the coil, a turning effect is
produced on the coil and the pointer attached to it
will move.
Fig. 20.43 Cutaway view of a moving-coil ammeter

• Magnetic door catch
Magnetic strips are fitted to the doors of
freezers and refrigerators to keep the doors
closed.
Fig. 20.44 A magnetic door catch
• Other uses of permanent magnets
1. They are essential in the operation of
numerous electrical machines such as d.c.
motors and a.c. generators.
2. They are used in moving-coil loudspeakers.

At the core of the loudspeaker, there is a
very strong permanent magnet.
Key Ideas
1. Iron is a soft magnetic material. It is easily

magnetised and demagnetised.
2. Steel is a hard magnetic material i.e. it is

harder to magnetise than iron but retains its
magnetism.
Unit 20: Magnetism
Test Yourself 20.1
1. Give three examples each of magnetic and
non-magnetic materials.
Answer:
Magnetic: cobalt, nickel and steel
Non-magnetic: copper, wood and plastics
Test Yourself 20.1
2. State the properties of magnets.
Answer:
1. A freely suspended magnet always point in
the North-South direction.
2. They have magnetic poles (i.e. N-pole and
S-pole).
3. They obey the law of magnetism, i.e. like
poles repel and unlike poles repel.
Test Yourself 20.2
1. In an experiment with a bar magnet, a piece
of wood is held between the N pole of a
magnet and two iron nails (Fig. 20.15).
(a) Although wood is a non-magnetic
material, the two nails are attracted when the
wood is held between the magnet and the
nails. Suggest a reason for this.
(b) It is observed that the pointed tips of the
iron nails point away from each other. Why is
this so? Fig. 20.15
Answer:
(a) The magnet has a very strong magnetic field that is able to pass
through the wood.
(b) The iron nails become induced magnets. The pointed tips of the
iron nails are like poles (N pole) and thus they will repel each
other.
Test Yourself 20.3
1. State the difference between an
unmagnetised bar and a magnetised bar.
Answer:
An unmagnetised bar has no magnetic
effects. The magnetic domains in an
unmagnetised bar are in random directions.
A magnetised bar has magnetic effects of N

and S poles at the ends. This is because the
magnetic domains tend to be aligned in the
same direction.
Test Yourself 20.3
2. Explain why every magnet has a maximum
strength.
Answer:
When all the magnetic domains in the
magnet are pointing in the same direction, it
is magnetically saturated and cannot be any
stronger.
Test Yourself 20.3
3. What will happen to the magnetic domains of
a magnet placed in a solenoid carrying an
alternating current, as it is slowly withdrawn?
Answer:
The direction of the magnetic domains of the
magnet will be mixed up, causing the magnet
to lose its magnetism.
Test Yourself 20.3
4. A steel bar can be magnetised by stroking it with
two magnets as shown in Figure 20.25. Mark the
resulting poles of the steel bar on Figure 20.25.
Answer:
N S
Test Yourself 20.4
1. (a) Draw on Figure 20.39 the magnetic field lines
between the S poles of two magnets.
(b) The circle in Figure 20.39 represents a compass
placed at that position. In which direction would the
compass needle point?
compass
N S S N
Test Yourself 20.5
1. Three bars of metal are known to be brass, iron
and steel. A magnet is placed at one end of each
metal bar. Figure 20.45 shows how many iron
tacks are picked up by each metal bar. What are
metals 1, 2 and 3?
Answer:
Metal 1: iron
Metal 2: steel
Metal 3: brass
Fig 20.45
Test Yourself 20.5
2. Look around the house and name three
appliances or devices which have permanent
magnets in them.
Answer:
• Magnetic door catch found in refrigerator

• Hard disk drive
• Core of loudspeakers and earphones

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Unit 20: Magnetism

• Materials that are not attracted by magnets are called

• A material that retains its magnetism for a long time is

• They are usually made of steel and alloys like alnico

• Another type of permanent magnet is made from

Fig. 16.22(a) Field lines of a Fig. 16.22(b) Field lines of

Fig. 20.26 The magnetic field pattern of a bar magnet made

Fig. 20.31(a) Magnetic field Fig. 20.31(b) Magnetic field

Fig. 20.32(a) Magnetic field lines Fig. 20.32(b) Magnetic field

• Point X is the neutral point because the fields

Fig. 20.33 Magnetic field patterns between magnets

Differences – magnet VS electric charge

• The two ends of the bar magnet where the

• Exception: fridge magnet

Fig. 20.6 A suspended

Fig. 20.34 The Earth’s magnetic field

• Repulsion is the only test to confirm that

1. Magnets have two poles —

2. Like poles repel, unlike poles attract.

3. Repulsion is the only sure test to determine

Fig. 20.11 Safety pins

Fig. 20.12 Magnetic induction can happen at a distance.

1. Magnetic induction is the process where

• The orbiting motion of electrons in a magnetic

• A group of atomic magnets pointing in the

Fig. 20.17 An unmagnetised bar – the magnetic domains

Fig. 20.18 In a permanent magnet, the magnetic domains

• Demagnetisation is the process of removing

• Cause the atoms of the magnet to vibrate

• To prevent this, bar magnets are

Fig. 20.20 Magnetising a steel bar by stroking method

3. Electrical method using an alternating current

Fig. 20.24 Demagnetising a magnet in a solenoid with

2. To demagnetise a magnet, we can

Fig. 20.26 The magnetic field pattern of a bar magnet made

Fig. 20.31(a) Magnetic field Fig. 20.31(b) Magnetic field

Fig. 20.32(a) Magnetic field lines Fig. 20.32(b) Magnetic field

• Point X is the neutral point because the fields

Fig. 20.33 Magnetic field patterns between magnets

Fig. 20.34 The Earth’s magnetic field

Fig. 20.37 Magnetic shielding Fig. 20.38 Region X within a hollow

2. Magnetic materials such as iron can be used

Fig. 20.43 Cutaway view of a moving-coil ammeter

Fig. 20.44 A magnetic door catch

2. They are used in moving-coil loudspeakers.

1. Iron is a soft magnetic material. It is easily

2. Steel is a hard magnetic material i.e. it is

Magnetic: cobalt, nickel and steel

Non-magnetic: copper, wood and plastics

A magnetised bar has magnetic effects of N

• Magnetic door catch found in refrigerator

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