The Discovery of Magnetism

Around 900 years ago, people in China found that a special kind of rock called magnetite, or lodestone, had an
unusual quality. They noticed that a dish with a piece of lodestone would always settle pointing north and south. This
special trait of lodestone led to the creation of the compass—a tool essential for navigation on both land and sea. The
word “lodestone” actually means “leading stone” because it helped guide people in the right direction.

Magnetic and Non-Magnetic Materials

Natural magnets like magnetite can attract some specific materials, including metals like cobalt, nickel, and certain
metal mixtures like steel. We call these "magnetic materials" because they can be attracted to magnets. Simply put,
materials that are pulled towards magnets are magnetic. On the other hand, materials that don’t get attracted by a
magnet, like brass, copper, wood, and plastic, are called "non-magnetic materials."

If a material can hold onto its magnetism for a long time, it’s known as a "permanent magnet."

Properties of Magnets

Magnets not only attract magnetic materials but also have the following important properties:

1. Magnetic Poles
2. North and South Poles:
If you hang a bar magnet so it can swing freely in the air, it will eventually come to rest with one end pointing
towards Earth’s North. This end is called the "north-seeking pole," or just the "north pole," while the other end, which
points south, is called the "south-seeking pole," or "south pole." These poles help us use magnets for navigation.

3. Like Poles Repel, Unlike Poles Attract:

If you put two north poles or two south poles of magnets together, they push away (repel) each other. But if you
bring a north pole close to a south pole, they pull together (attract).

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Testing If an Object Is a Magnet

To check if something is a magnet, bring one end of it near one end of a hanging bar magnet. If they repel each
other, then the object is definitely a magnet because only like poles repel each other. If they attract, then either the
object is a magnet with an opposite pole or it’s just a magnetic material. To be sure, try bringing the other end of the
object near the magnet to see if there’s repulsion.

Magnetic Induction

When an unmagnetized magnetic material, like iron, touches or comes near the pole of a permanent magnet, it
becomes magnetic too. This process is called "magnetic induction." In simple terms, the material starts acting like a
magnet because it’s close to one.
Theory of Magnetism

Imagine we take a thin magnetized steel bar and cut it into three smaller pieces. Each piece will still act as a magnet
with a north (N) and south (S) pole. If we keep cutting the pieces even smaller, they will still remain magnets. This
suggests that a magnet is made up of many tiny "mini-magnets," all lined up with their N-poles pointing in the same
direction.

- Magnetized Bar: In a magnetized bar, these mini-magnets are all aligned with their N-poles in one direction. Near
the ends of the bar, the mini-magnets fan out a little because similar poles repel each other. That’s why the magnetic
poles of the bar are strongest at the ends.

- Unmagnetized Bar: In an unmagnetized bar, the tiny magnets are pointing in random directions. As a result, their
magnetic effects cancel each other out, and the bar doesn’t act like a magnet.

Based on this theory, we can understand the following:

1. Storing Magnets Using Keepers:

If we store magnets side by side without anything in between, they may get weaker over time. This is because the
poles at the ends repel each other, which can disturb the alignment of the mini-magnets inside. To prevent this, we
store bar magnets in pairs using pieces of soft iron, called "keepers," which are placed across the ends of the
magnets, connecting opposite poles.

2. Magnetic Saturation:
Every magnet has a limit to how strong it can be. This happens when all the mini-magnets inside are perfectly
aligned. After this point, the magnet can’t get any stronger. This maximum strength is called "magnetic saturation."

3. Demagnetization of Magnets:
Demagnetization is when we remove magnetism from a magnet. Methods like heating or hammering cause the
atoms to vibrate intensely, which messes up the alignment of the mini-magnets, making the object lose its magnetic
power.

Methods of Magnetizing and Demagnetizing

Methods of Making Magnets

1. Making a Magnet by Stroking:

This method uses magnetic induction to create a magnet. There are two ways to do this: the **single touch** and
the **divided touch** methods.

- Single Touch: Take an unmagnetized material and stroke it with the same pole of a permanent magnet from one
end to the other several times in the same direction. After enough strokes, the material becomes magnetized.
- Divided Touch: Place two permanent magnets in the middle of the unmagnetized material with opposite poles
facing outwards. Then, stroke each magnet outwards toward the ends of the material. This method is quicker and
stronger than the single touch method.

In both methods, each stroke should end with the magnet being lifted well above the bar to avoid reversing the
effect. The end of the magnetized bar will have the opposite pole to the pole used for stroking.
2. Making a Magnet Electrically
- Using a Solenoid: To make a magnet using electricity, place a steel bar inside a cylindrical coil of wire (called a
solenoid) wrapped around a cardboard tube. When a direct current (DC) flows through the solenoid, it magnetizes the
steel bar inside.
- Determining Poles:
- Direction of Current: The end of the solenoid where the current flows in an anticlockwise direction becomes the
north pole, and the other end becomes the south pole.
- Right-Hand Rule: Grip the solenoid with your right hand so that your fingers curl in the direction of the current.
Your thumb will point to the north pole of the magnetized bar.

Methods of Demagnetizing Magnets

1. Heating:
Strongly heating a magnet with a flame, like from a Bunsen burner, causes it to lose its magnetism quickly. This
happens because the heat makes the atoms vibrate more, which disrupts the alignment of the mini-magnets inside,
removing the magnetism.

2. Hammering:
Just like heating, hammering also disrupts the alignment of the mini-magnets inside. This causes the magnet to
lose its magnetism.

3. Using Alternating Current (AC):

This is the most efficient way to demagnetize a magnet. Place the magnet inside a solenoid connected to an
alternating current (AC) power source. While the AC flows, slowly remove the magnet from the solenoid. This process
gradually removes the magnetism completely.

Magnetic Fields and Plotting Compass

Have you ever dropped a box of pins on the floor? You probably noticed that the easiest way to pick them all up is by
using a magnet. When you bring the magnet close to the pins, they get attracted to it. This "action at a distance"
happens because of the magnetic field created by the magnet.

What is a Magnetic Field?

A magnetic field is an area around a magnet where it can exert a force and attract magnetic objects.

Showing the Magnetic Field Around a Bar Magnet

To see how a magnetic field looks around a bar magnet, you can do a simple experiment. Here’s how:

1. Materials Needed: You will need a bar magnet, some iron filings (tiny pieces of iron), and a piece of paper.

2. Experiment Steps:
- Lightly sprinkle the iron filings on the piece of paper.
- Place the bar magnet under the paper and gently tap the paper.
- The iron filings will arrange themselves in a pattern that shows the magnetic field around the magnet.
### Finding the Direction of a Magnetic Field

You can also find the direction of a magnetic field using a small device called a plotting compass.

How to Plot the Magnetic Field Lines

Materials: Bar magnet, plotting compass, plain paper.

Procedure:
1. Place the bar magnet in the center of the paper, making sure its north (N) pole is facing north and its south (S) pole
is facing south.
2. Start near one pole of the magnet. Move the compass around and mark the position of the ends (N and S) of the
compass needle with pencil dots labeled X and Y.
3. Move the compass so one end is exactly over dot Y, and mark the new position of the other end with another dot.
4. Keep repeating this process, marking more dots, until you have a series of dots around the magnet.
5. Finally, connect all the dots to draw the lines of the magnetic field.

Precautions:
1. Make sure the plotting compass is working properly.
2. Check that there are no strong magnetic fields nearby that could affect the compass.