Question: How does different temperature affect the strength of a neodymium magnet?

Research: Neodymium is a rare earth element. On the periodic table of elements, the symbol for
neodymium is Nd. Its Atomic number is 60. The Atomic Mass is 144.242 U. It was discovered in 1885 by
Carl Auer von Welsbach. Its melting point is 1,861 Fahrenheit or 1,016 Celsius. We know that heating a
magnet lessens the magnetic force, but we don’t know how much we heat it requires and how it works
on neodymium magnets. Heating the magnet takes away some of the field and the less the field, the
fewer things the magnet can pull things toward it. Magnetism is the force exerted by magnets when
they attract or repel each other. Magnetism is caused by the motion of electric charges. Every substance
is made up of tiny units called atoms. Each atom has electrons, particles that carry electric charges. The
magnets are extremely powerful.

Rationale: The reason we are doing this experiment is that it will be entertaining and educational
to learn how heat affects magnetism. This is going to be useful because if you have a
neodymium magnet then you will learn if heat is good or bad for the magnet.

Hypothesis: We believe that the hotter the magnet, the weaker the field. The colder the magnet,
the stronger the magnetic field is.

My supplies:
1) 1 neodymium magnet
2) 1 lighter
3) 2 paper clips
4) ruler
My Plan:

1) Buy the 2 neodymium magnets and get the lighter.

2) Heat up magnets using lighter for 10-25 seconds.

3) Lower magnets until a paper clip comes up.

4) Measure how far the neodymium magnet is off the ground with ruler.

5) Record the results.

6) Do the process again with the 2nd magnet and heat it up.

7) Measure how far the magnet is off the ground.

8) Record the results.

9) Do the same process for magnet 3.

10) Record results and compare results.

The results:
My Conclusion:

Looking at our results, our original hypothesis was correct. One way we know that our hypothesis was
correct was that when the magnet heated up, the magnetic force decreased. Another interesting thing that
happened was that burning the magnet burnt the nickel covering the neodymium magnet. In conclusion, it
turns out that heat is bad for magnets.

Links

Why heat is bad for magnets

How Does Temperature Affect Magnetism

Interesting Facts About Neodymium Magnets