Simple phenomena

of magnetism
Learning objectives
Identify the magnetic and non-
magnetic materials
• Steel
• Copper
• Wood
• Iron
• Aluminum
• Gold
• Cobalt
• Nickel
• Plastic
• Brass
• Silver
 Magnetic and non-magnetic
material
• Magnetic materials are materials that can be attracted to a magnet.
Steel, Iron, Cobalt, Nickel
• Non-magnetic materials are materials that cannot be attracted to a
magnet
Copper, wood, plastic, brass, aluminum, silver and gold
List the properties of magnets
Properties of magnet
• A magnet has two poles. Poles of a magnet are at the ends to which
magnetic material are attracted. These ends are of equal strengths.
They are called north and south poles.

• The poles of magnets have the strongest magnetic force.

• When a magnet is suspended freely, its poles are always facing towards
the earth’s north and south poles.

• Like poles of magnets repel and unlike poles attract each other.
The poles of magnets have
the strongest magnetic force.

• The ends of a magnet are also known as

poles. When we move a magnet close to a
pile of iron nails, the iron nails are
attracted to the poles of the magnet. The
poles are where the magnetic force is the
strongest.
A freely suspended magnet points
to the north-south direction
• When magnet is left suspended freely, it always points to the
North and South Poles of the Earth.

• This is because the Earth behaves like a giant magnet and the
magnetic force exerted by the Earth causes a freely
suspended magnet to point in the north-south direction of
the earth. The poles of magnets are also known as north
pole (N-pole) and south pole (S pole) due to this property.
Like poles of magnets repel and unlike poles attract
each other.
 What is induced magnetism?
• Magnets are made by magnetizing magnetic
materials. The process of magnetizing a
magnetic material is also known as magnetic
induction.

• When an unmagnetized paper clip is brought

near a bar magnet, it is attracted to the magnet.
When this happens, we say the paper clip has
become an induced magnet. In turn, this
induced magnet is able to attract other paper
clips.
Label the poles on the paper clips. Are the clips permanently magnetised, why or
why not?
Label the poles on the paper clips. Are the clips permanently magnetised, why or
why not?

N
• The process of induction does not require physical contact.
The magnet can induce magnetism in the iron bar by simply
being near it. The N pole of the bar magnet induces an S pole
in the nearer end of the iron bar and an N pole in its farther
end.
Magnetically hard and soft material
• Permanent magnet is made of magnetically hard materials. They stay
magnetic (retain its magnetism) once they magnetised. Permanent
magnets are used in computer hard drives, electric motors, phones,
microphones and loudspeakers.

• Most type of iron are magnetically soft. A magnetically soft material

can be easily magnetised and demagnetised. Useful in some
electromagnetic devices such as relay.
Magnetic material
Magnetic field
o Magnetic field: The region of space around a magnet where it
produces a magnetic force on magnetic materials is called magnetic
field.

o It has direction which is at any point should be the direction of the

force from north pole to south that is the arrows are always coming
out from north pole to south pole.
Field Lines
around a
magnet
• The plotting of magnetic field lines with a compass or iron filings and
the use of a compass to determine the direction of the magnetic field
HOW TO DRAW FIELD LINES AROUND A MAGNET

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Watch this video

• The relative strength of a magnetic field is represented by the spacing
of the magnetic field lines (how closely packed the magnetic field
lines are).
Magnetic field around a bar
magnet
magnetic field line Arrows on the field
lines show the
direction of the force
on a free to move
north pole

The stronger the

magnetic field the
denser the magnetic
field lines.
Magnetic fields between two bar
magnets
Producing a uniform magnetic field
A uniform magnetic field exerts a
constant force over a region.

Such a field will consist of parallel

equally spaced magnetic field lines.

This type of field can almost be

found between a north and south
magnetic pole.
Choose appropriate words to fill in the gaps below:
Magnetic materials are either hard or ______.
soft Hard
magnetic materials such as ______
steel retain their magnetisation
once magnetised.
A magnetic _____
pole is a region where the magnetic force is
greatest. Magnetic poles always occur in ______.
pairs Like poles
_______,
repel unlike attract.
A magnetic ______
field is a region where magnetic force is
exerted. The ________
direction of the magnetic field around a bar
magnet is from north to south.
WORD SELECTION:
pole repel steel pairs field direction soft
Answer the question
1. Name two magnetic and two non-magnetic
materials.
2. Why does a freely suspended magnet always
stand freely along the north-south direction?
3. Which is the best property of a magnet used to
identify whether a given material is magnet or
non-magnet, attraction or repulsion, why?
4. What happens to the strength of the magnetic
force as you move away from the magnet?
Answer
1. Iron, cobalt, nickel; copper, aluminium
2. A freely suspended magnet always points towards geographic
NORTH-SOUTH direction because of the earth’s magnetic south
pole being it’s true geographic north pole and vice versa.
3. Repulsion. Magnets repel and attract other magnets, magnet attract
magnetic substances.
4. Weaker
Draw magnetic field lines around these magnets to show magnetic forces are due to interactions between magnetic fields
Draw magnetic field lines around these magnets to show magnetic forces are due to interactions between magnetic fields
Draw magnetic field lines around these magnets to show magnetic forces are due to interactions between magnetic fields
Draw magnetic field lines around these magnets to show magnetic forces are due to interactions between
magnetic fields
Draw magnetic field lines around these magnets to show magnetic forces are due to interactions between magnetic fields
Draw magnetic field lines around these magnets to show magnetic forces are due to interactions between magnetic fields
Draw magnetic field lines around these magnets to show magnetic forces are due to interactions between magnetic fields
Draw magnetic field lines around these magnets to show magnetic forces are due to interactions between magnetic fields
Electromagnets
An electromagnet consists of a
current carrying coil wrapped
around an iron core.
 Uses of electromagnets
1. Scrap yard crane

The iron core of the electromagnet is a SOFT

magnetic material.

When current flows the iron becomes strongly

magnetised and so picks up the scrap iron and steel.

When the current is turned off the iron loses its

magnetisation and so releases the scrap.
 2. The electric bell

When the push switch is closed current

flows around the circuit turning on the push
electromagnet. switch spring

electromagnet
The soft iron armature is pulled
towards the electromagnet and the
hammer hits the gong.

This causes the contact switch to open

cutting off the electric current. contact
switch

The spring now pulls the armature soft iron

hammer
back again closing the contact switch. armature

gong
Current now flows again and the
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYZeXVoW7lo
hammer hits the gong again.
Label the diagram of the electric bell
below:
2
5
3

Contact7switch

1 8 4
 3. The relay switch
switch A
A relay switch is a way of using a
low voltage circuit to switch
remotely a high voltage (and iron
armature
possibly dangerous) circuit.

When switch A is closed, the small

current provided by the cell causes electromagnet
the electromagnet to become hinge
magnetised..

The iron armature is then springy to high

attracted to the electromagnet contact
switch B
voltage
circuit
causing the springy contact switch
B to close in the high voltage
circuit.
 4. Circuit breaker
Current normally flows between terminals A
and B through the contact and the
2 electromagnet.

When the current in a circuit increases, the

strength of the electromagnet will also
1 increase. This will pull the soft iron armature
towards the electromagnet.
A
As a result, spring 1 pulls apart the contact
and disconnecting the circuit immediately,
B and stopping current flow.
The reset button can be pushed to bring the Domestic
contact back to its original position to circuit
reconnect the circuit breakers