4 Electricity and magnetism

4.1 Simple magnetism and magnetic fields

Magnetism
Properties of Magnets
● The ends of a magnet are called poles.
● Magnets have two poles: a north and a south.
● Magnets are objects which experience attraction and repulsion.
○ Like poles repel (push each other apart)
■ For example a north pole will repel a north pole and a south pole will repel a south
pole.
○ Unlike poles attract (move towards each other)
■ For example a north pole will be attracted to a south pole.
● When two magnets are held close together, there will be a force between the magnets:

● Magnetic materials:
○ Experience a magnetic force when placed in a magnetic field.
○ Are attracted to a magnet when unmagnetised.
○ Can be magnetised to form a magnet.
● Only a magnet can repel another magnet (This can be a useful test for a magnet).
● Non-magnetic materials do not experience a force when placed in a magnetic field.

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Uses of Permanent Magnets
● Permanent magnets are usually made from steel and they tend to stay magnetised.
● Permanent magnets have many uses including:
○ Compasses: for thousands of years humans have used compasses for navigation, since the
needle always points north.
○ School lab experiments; the magnets used in school science demonstrations are
permanent magnets.
○ Toys; toy trains and trucks often have magnets which attach the carriages or trailers to the
engine.
○ Fridge magnets; these are made either of flexible magnetic material or by sticking a
magnet to the back of something.

Electromagnets
● Electromagnets use electricity to create a magnet from a current-carrying wire.
○ They have the advantage that they can be magnetised and demagnetised, literally at the
flick of a switch.
○ They can be switched on and off.
● Soft iron is the metal normally used for this.
○ It can easily become a temporary magnet.

Uses of Electromagnets
● MRI scanners in hospitals; an MRI scanner is a large, cylindrical machine using powerful
electromagnets to produce diagnostic images of the organs of the body.
● Speakers and earphones; the loudspeakers, microphones and earphones used in phones and
laptops use electromagnets to sense or send soundwaves.
● Recycling; because steel is a magnetic material it can be easily separated from other metals and
materials using electromagnets. Once recovered the steel is re-used and recycled, reducing mining
for iron ore and processing ore into steel.

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Magnetic and Non-magnetic Materials

Note: Steel is an alloy which contains iron, so it is also magnetic.

Magnetic materials (which are not magnets) will always be attracted to the magnet, regardless of which
pole (North or South pole of the magnet) is held close to it.

NOTE: To test whether a material is a magnet it should be brought close to a known magnet. If it can be
repelled by the known magnet, then the material itself is a magnet. If it can only be attracted and not
repelled then it is a magnetic material.

Types of Magnets
There are two types of magnets:
● Permanent magnets
● Induced magnets

Permanent Magnets
Permanent magnets are made out of permanent magnetic materials, for example steel.
A permanent magnet will produce its own magnetic field. It will not lose its magnetism.

Temporary (Induced) Magnets

● When a magnetic material is placed in a magnetic field, the material can temporarily be turned
into a magnet. This is called induced magnetism.
○ Some objects such as paperclips or needles (which are made from steel) can be
magnetised and will remain magnetic for a while.
○ Other objects, such as electromagnets or transformers (which are made from iron) will be
demagnetised as soon as the cause of the induced magnetism is removed.
● When magnetism is induced on a material:
○ One end of the material will become a north pole
○ The other end will become a south pole
● Magnetic materials will always be attracted to a permanent magnet.
○ This means that the end of the material closest to the magnet will have the opposite pole
to magnets pole closest to the material.
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Note: Magnetic materials such as iron which are easily magnetised but do not retain their magnetism are
called soft magnetic materials, whereas magnetic materials such as steel, which are harder to magnetise
but retain their magnetism are called hard magnetic materials.

Magnetic Fields

● All magnets are surrounded by a magnetic field.

● A magnetic field is defined as the region around a magnet where a force acts on another magnet
or on a magnetic material (such as iron, steel, cobalt and nickel).
● Two bar magnets can be used to produce a uniform magnetic field.
● Point opposite poles (north and south) of the two magnets a few centimetres apart.
● A uniform magnetic field will be produced in the gaps between opposite poles
○ Note: Outside that gap, the field will not be uniform

● A uniform magnetic field is one that has the same strength and direction at all points.
○ To show that the magnetic field has the same strength at all points there must be equal
spacing between all magnetic field lines.
○ To show that the magnetic field is acting in the same direction at all points there must be
an arrow on each magnetic field line going from the north pole to the south pole.
● The magnetic field lines are the same distance apart between the gaps of the poles to indicate
that the field strength is the same at every point between the poles.
● This field can be determined by using plotting compasses that will point from north to south or
by using iron filings.

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Magnetic Field Lines

● Magnetic field lines are used to represent the strength and direction of a magnetic field.
● The direction of the magnetic field is shown using arrows.
● There are some rules which must be followed when drawing magnetic field lines. Magnetic field
lines:
○ Always go from north to south.
○ Must never touch or cross other field lines.

Magnetic Field Around a Bar Magnet

● The magnetic field is strongest at the poles.

○ This is where the magnetic field lines are closest together.
● The magnetic field becomes weaker as the distance from the magnet increases.
● This is because the magnetic field lines are getting further apart.

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Plotting Magnetic Field Lines

1. Using Iron Filings

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● Place a piece of paper on top of the magnet.
● Gently sprinkle iron filings on top of the paper.
● Now carefully tap the paper to allow the iron filings to settle on the field lines.

2. Using plotting compasses

● Place the magnet on top of a piece of paper

● Draw a dot at one end of the magnet (near its corner)
● Place a plotting compass next to the dot, so that one end of the needle of the compass points
towards the dot
● Use a pencil to draw a new dot at the other side of the compass needle
● Now move the compass so that it points towards the new dot, and repeat the above process
● Keep repeating until you have a chain of dots going from one end of the magnet to the other. Then
remove the compass, and link the dots using a smooth curve – the magnetic field line
● The direction of the field line is the same as the direction of the plotting compass
● You can now repeat the whole process several times to create several other magnetic field lines

Compasses can be used to plot the magnetic field around a bar magnet

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