Magnetism and Matter

Class 12: Chapter 5

A story of Magnets
What we’ll learn:

- A brief history of magnets

- Properties of the bar magnet
- Gauss’s law for Magnetism
- Earth’s magnetism
- Magnetisation and Magnetic Intensity
- Magnetic properties of Matter
History of Magnets
- Once upon a time in the island of Magnesia, Greece:
The earliest accounts of
Magnets are found in
Greece, where
shepherds complained of
their shoes and staffs
being stuck stuck to the
ground in the island of
Magnesia, which had
magnetic ore deposits.
 Bar Magnet
A bar magnet consists of 2 poles, north and south. The pattern of iron fillings around
the magnet allows us to plot magnetic field lines.
At large distances, the field lines generated by them are very similar,
suggesting that the bar magnet can be seen as a magnetic dipole.

A bar magnet An electric dipole

 We have here magnetic field
lines around a bar magnet and
a current carrying solenoid.

At large distances, the field lines

and the expression for the
magnetic field produced by them
are very similar

The magnetic moment of a bar magnet is equal to the magnetic

moment of an equivalent solenoid that produces the same
magnetic field
We have a bar magnet. Let’s cut it:
1. It’s cut in half transverse to its length. What do we get?
2. It’s cut in half perpendicular to its length. What do we get now?

The answers to these questions lead us to the Gauss’s law for

Magnetism and the non existence of magnetic monopoles.

Do they
exist?
Gauss’s law for magnetism
Flux through area element ΔS of a closed surface
S in a field B = Δф
Total flux through S = ф

ф=ΣΔф= 0
True for every closed surface in a magnetic
field

Magnetic field lines form continuous closed

loops, they don’t have a beginning or an end.
Magnetic monopoles do not exist.
The given diagram consists of field lines. Could this be a magnetic field? If
yes, what does it tell us about the properties of B?

Could this be an electrostatic

field?
Think carefully.
One more question:
In the diagram we have a current carrying solenoid
and magnetic field lines around it. Is this possible?

This diagram violates a law. Tell me which one?

 In which of these, a solenoid or a
toroid, can Magnetic field lines be
ONE LAST
entirely confined? Why?
QUESTION
Earth’s magnetic field resembles that of a
magnetic dipole located at its center

The axis of the dipole is tilted by

about 11.3° (at present) with
respect to the axis of rotation
How would you describe Earth’s field?

Necessary components:
1. Declination D
2. Inclination(angle of dip) I
3. Horizontal component of
Bₑ= Hₑ
 What is the difference between them? How would they behave at the south
pole? And at the equator?

A simple compass needle(capable A dip needle

of moving in a horizontal plane only)