Electromagnetism

Magnets
● Made from alloys of iron, nickel and cobalt

Each Magnet has two poles!

● Magnetic poles are areas of concentrated magnetic force
● When left to rotate freely,
○ One pole will seek (point to) the northerly direction on
Earth – referred to as North Pole
○ One pole will seek the southerly direction on Earth –
referred to as South Pole
Laws of Magnetic Poles
●Opposite magnetic poles attract
●Similar magnetic poles repel

●Forces of attraction and repulsion are

felt “at a distance” – affect each other
before they touch (like gravity)
●Magnetic Field of Force – the space
around a magnet in which magnetic
forces are exerted
Characteristics of Magnetic Field Lines
1) The spacing of the lines indicates the relative
strength of the force
○The closer the lines are the greater the force

2) Outside a magnet, lines are concentrated at

the poles.
○ They are closer inside the magnet itself
Characteristics of Magnetic Field Lines
3. By convention, the lines proceed from S to
N inside a magnet and from N to S outside a
magnet

4. All lines form closed loops and do not cross

each other
Earth as a magnet
Earth’s Magnetic Field
● Electric currents in Earth’s core probably
cause this behaviour of the magnetic field
● Earth’s core is made of liquid metal which
conducts electricity
● The spin of Earth on its axis causes the
liquid to circulate much like the current in a
conducting loop……which causes a
magnetic field
● Scientists believe that circulation within
Earth’s core has a complicated flow pattern
that varies with time….these variations
cause changes in the magnetic field
Did you know?
● Scientists have discovered many living creatures
that use Earth’s magnetic field in different ways:
❖ Magnetotactic bacteria (photo)
❖ Honey bees
❖ Homing pigeons
❖ Dolphins

the dark round dots inside the cell are magnetite crystals
Domain theory of Magnets
● Atoms in ferromagnetic materials can be
thought of as tiny magnets with N and S poles
– these tiny atomic magnets are called
dipoles
●Each dipole can affect its neighbor, causing
their dipoles to line up in the same direction –
when this happens, called an electric domain
●Nickel, cobalt and any alloy containing iron,
nickel or cobalt can become magnetized by
bringing them close to a magnet – these
materials are called FERROMAGNETIC
Unmagnetized Domains
Magnetized Domains

•Dipoles all line up in the same direction

causing one end to become the north
pole and one end to become the south
pole
Effects of Domain Theory:

1. Magnetic Induction
•A permanent magnet brought close to a piece of
unmagnetized iron can force the poles of individual
domains to align, turning it into a magnet
•Magnetic Induction – process of magnetizing an
object from a distance
2) Demagnetization
• Dropping or heating a magnet will demagnetize it –
dipoles will go back into a random alignment.
3) Reverse Magnetization
•If a bar magnet is placed in a strong enough magnetic
field of opposite polarity, its domains can switch – the
N-pole becomes S-pole, etc
 4) Breaking a Bar Magnet
• Breaking a bar magnet creates 2 magnets with the
same poles/alignment of dipoles
5) Magnetic Saturation
•Occurs when the maximum number of poles are aligned,
this determines the maximum strength of the magnet
6) Induced Magnetism by Earth
• If a piece of iron is held in Earth’s magnetic field pointing
north and its atoms are agitated by heating or mechanical
vibrations, its dipoles can align, creating a magnet
•Steel columns in buildings, ships and railway tracks are
often magnetized
 Principle of Electromagnetism:

Moving electric charges produce a magnetic field.

Right-Hand Rule for a Straight Conductor:

If a conductor is grasped in the right hand, with

the thumb pointing in the direction of the
current and the curled fingers point in the
direction of the magnetic field lines
RHR straight conductor
SUMMARY
●Fingers 🡪 B (magnetic
field)
●Thumb 🡪 I (current)
Solenoid: a coil of wire
A solenoid is a coil of wire with electric current
flowing through it, giving it north and south
magnetic poles and a magnetic field.
Right-Hand Rule for a Solenoid:
If a solenoid is grasped in the
right hand, with curled fingers
point in the direction of the
electric current and the thumb
pointing in the direction of the
magnetic field lines in its core.
RHR Solenoid SUMMARY
●Thumb 🡪 B (magnetic field)
●Fingers 🡪 I (current)