PHYSICS INVESTIGATORY

PROJECT
TOPIC : BAR MAGNET
By Rishabh Tewari
Class: 12th
Roll No. : 19
 INDEX
■ INTRODUCTION
■ THE BAR MAGNET
■ HISTORY OF MAGNETS
■ MAGNETIC FIELD LINES OF BAR MAGNET
■ MAGNETIC LINES OF BAR MAGNET
■ POLE STRENGTH OF BAR MAGNET
■ BAR MAGNET AS EQUIVALENT SOLENOID
■ USES OF BAR MAGNET
■ DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ELECTRO MAGNETS AND BAR
MAGNETS
INTRODUCTION:
 What is magnet ?
A magnet is defined as an object which is capable of producing magnetic field and
attracting unlike poles and repelling like poles.
 Properties of Magnet
The following are the basic properties of a magnet:
• When a magnet is dipped in iron filings, we can observe that the iron filings
cling to the end of the magnet as the attraction is maximum at the ends of
the magnet. These ends are known as poles of the magnets.
• Magnetic poles always exist in pairs.
• Like poles repel while unlike poles attract.
• The magnetic force between the two magnets is greater when the distance
between these magnets is lesser.
The Bar Magnet
■ What is a Bar Magnet ?
A bar magnet is a rectangular piece of an object, made up of iron, steel or any other
ferromagnetic substance or ferromagnetic composite, that shows permanent magnetic
properties. It has two poles, a north and a south pole such that when suspended freely,
the magnet aligns itself so that the northern pole points towards the magnetic north
pole of the earth.
■ Types of Bar Magnet
There are two types of bar magnets :
• Cylindrical bar magnet : A cylindrical rod is also known as a rod magnet that has a
thickness equal to larger than the diameter enabling high magnetism property.
These bar magnets find application in educational, experimental, and research
uses.
• Rectangular bar magnet : Rectangular bar magnets find applications in
manufacturing and engineering industries as they have magnetic strength and field
greater than the other magnets.
History Of Magnets
Ancient people learned about magnetism from lodestones (or magnetite) which are
naturally magnetized pieces of iron ore.The earliest known surviving descriptions of
magnets and their properties are from Anatolia, India, and China around 2500 years
ago. In the 11th century in China, it was discovered that quenching red hot iron in the
Earth's magnetic field would leave the iron permanently magnetized. This led to the
development of the navigational compass.
A straight iron magnet tends to demagnetize itself by its own magnetic field. To
overcome this, the horseshoe magnet was invented by Daniel Bernoulli in 1743. In
1820, Hans Christian Ørsted discovered that a compass needle is deflected by a nearby
electric current. In the same year André-Marie Ampère showed that iron can be
magnetized by inserting it in an electrically fed solenoid. This led William Sturgeon to
develop an iron-cored electromagnet in 1824.
Magnetic Field Lines Of Bar Magnet
• Continuous closed loops can be formed by magnetic field lines contained in the
magnet. Outside the magnetic direction of field lines is from North pole to South
pole.

• These magnetic field lines will never intersect one another.

• The tangent present towards the field line at any point on the magnet demonstrates the
direction of net magnetic field B at that particular point.

• The magnitude of the magnetic field will be stronger and stronger if the number of field lines
that cross the unit is larger.
Pole Strength Of Bar Magnet

■ Pole strength represents the capability of the poles of magnet to attract magnetic
material towards it.
■ Pole strength is a scalar quantity.
■ Just like electric charges, a magnetic charge (also called pole strength) + m is
assigned to the north pole and - m to the south pole of the bar magnet.
■ Unit of pole strength is either N/T or Am.
■ It depends upon the nature of the material of the magnet.
Bar Magnet As Equivalent Solenoid
• A solenoid is a type of electromagnet, the purpose of which is to generate a
controlled magnetic field through a coil wound into a tightly packed helix.
• The resemblance of magnetic field lines of bar magnet and a solenoid suggest that
a bar magnet may be thought of as a large number of circulating currents in analogy
with the solenoid. It can be concluded that magnetic fields produced by a bar
magnet and current carrying solenoid are quite similar.
• Also the magnetic field at large distances on the axis of the solenoid is same as the
magnetic field on the axis of the bar magnet.
• Also if you cut a bar magnet in half, it will behave similarly to how a solenoid would
have i.e. two solenoids having weaker magnetic properties.
Uses Of Bar Magnet
■ Bar magnets are used as stirrers in laboratories for magnetic experiments.
■ They also find applications in medical procedures.
■ Electronic devices such as telephones, radios, and television sets use magnets.
■ Many industries use bar magnets for the collection of loose metals and also for
retaining the magnetism of other magnets.

Alnico And Neodymium Bar Magnet

It will be incomplete to talk about bar magnets and not mention an Alnico bar magnet
and a neodymium bar magnet. The primary components of Alnico magnets are
aluminium, nickel, cobalt, and iron. These magnets produce a strong magnetic field and
retain their magnetic property even under extreme heat. Neodymium bar magnets are
made with a mixture of neodymium, boron, and iron. These are both extremely powerful
magnets but very brittle.
Difference between Electro Magnets
and Bar Magnets
Though Electro Magnets and Bar Magnets have been proved to have similar Magnetic fields,
given below are the differences between them:
• Most Bar Magnets are shaped like blocks of ferro Magnetic constituents whereas Electro
Magnets are coils of wire which are at times enclosed by a ferro Magnetic core in the
canter. Electro Magnets act just like Bar Magnets after an electric current is made to
pass through them.
• Bar Magnets produce a Magnetic field of their own whereas Electro Magnets rely on the
outside sources of current for producing a Magnetic field.
• Bar Magnets produce a Magnetic field of their own whereas Electro Magnets rely on the
outside sources of current for producing a Magnetic field.
• Bar Magnets have a naturally occurring constant Magnetic as they are said to be
permanent Magnets, Electro Magnets on the other hand do not have a continuous
Magnetic force as they behave as Magnets only after an external source of electric
currents is passed through them.