ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM

SIMPLE PHENOMENA OF MAGNETISM

MAGNETISM

Forces between Magnetic Poles

• The ends of a magnet are called poles

• Magnets have two poles: a North and a South.
• Magnetic forces are strongest at the poles.

North and South Poles of a Magnet

Figure 1 Poles of a Magnet

• When two magnets are held close together, there will be a force between the magnets
o Likes poles repel (push each other apart)
▪ A north pole will repel a north pole
▪ A south pole will repel a south pole
o Opposite poles attract (are pulled toward each other)
▪ A north pole will be attracted to a south pole

Magnet attraction and repulsion

Figure 2 Opposite poles attract and like poles repel

 • The attraction or repulsion between two magnetic poles is an example of a non-contact
force.

INDUCED MAGNETISM

• Very few metals in the periodic table are magnetic

• The magnetic metals are:
o Iron
o Cobalt
o Nickel
o Steel is an alloy which contains iron, so it is also magnetic

Magnetic Materials

Magnetic materials are attracted to a magnet; non-magnetic materials are not.

• Magnetic materials (which are not magnets) will always be attracted to the magnet,
regardless of which pole is held close to it.
Magnets and magnetic materials.

• Magnetic materials are attracted to both poles of a permanent magnet.

• Bringing a material close a known magnet will determine if the material is magnetic,
non-magnetic or if it is a magnet itself
o It is a magnet if it is repelled by the known magnet
o It is a magnetic material if it is attracted to the known magnet
o It is a non-magnetic material if it is neither attracted nor repelled by the known
magnet.

Types of Magnets

• There are two types of magnets:

o Permanent magnets
o Induced (also called temporary) magnets

Permanent Magnets

• Permanent magnets are made out of permanent magnetic materials, for example, steel.
• A permanent magnet will produce its own magnetic field
o It will not lose its magnetism

Temporary(induced) magnetism

• An induced magnet is a material with a soft iron core that becomes a magnet
temporarily when it is placed in a magnetic field.
o Induced magnetism always causes a force of attraction between the permanent
magnet creating the magnetic field and the induced magnet.
o When this happens it is said that the material has been magnetised.
o This means that the end of the material closest to the magnet will have the opposite
pole to that of the magnet pole closest to the material
 • When removed from the magnetic field, the material will lose its induced magnetism
quickly and become unmagnetised.
o Some objects such as paperclips or needles (made from steel) can be magnetized
and will remain magnetic for a while.
o Other objects, such as electromagnets or transformers (which are made of soft
iron) will be unmagnetised (no loner magnetised) as soon as the cause of the
induced magnetism is removed.

Induced magnetism in a magnetic material

Figure 3 Inducing magnetism in a magnet material

MAGNETIC FIELDS
• A magnetic field is defined as:

A region in which a magnetic pole experiences a force.

Magnetic field around a bar magnet

• The magnetic field is strongest at the poles

o Therefore, the magnetic field lines are closer together at the ends of
the magnets
• The magnetic field becomes weaker as the distance from the magnet
increases
Therefore, the magnetic field lines get further apart

Figure 4 The magnetic field around a bar magnet

Magnetic Field Lines

• Field lines always have an arrow indicating the direction of the field line
o The direction of the field line shows the direction that the magnetic force would
act
o The field lines always go from a north pole to a south pole
Magnetic Field Strength

• Magnetic forces are due to intersections between magnetic fields

o Two bar magnets can repel or attract
• This is shown by the magnetic field lines between the two magnets:

Attractive and repulsive magnetic fields

Figure 5 Magnetic field lines for attracting and repelling bar magnets

• The strength of the magnetic field is shown by the spacing of the magnetic field lines
o If the magnetic field lines are close together then the magnetic field will be strong
o If the magnetic field lines are far apart then the magnetic field will be weak

NOTE: if you are asked to draw the magnetic field around a bar magnet remember to indicate
both the direction of the magnetic field and the strength of the magnetic field. You can do this by:
• Adding arrows pointing away from the north pole and towards the south pole
• Making sure the magnetic field lines are further apart as the distance from the magnet
increases
Plotting Magnetic Field Lines
• In your IGCSE examination, you might be asked to describe a method of plotting the
magnetic field around a bar magnet.
• There are two principal ways of doing this:
o Using iron filings
o Using plotting compasses

Using iron filings

• Place a piece of paper on top of the magnet

• Gently sprinkle iron filings on top of the paper
• Now carefully tap the paper to allow the iron filings to settle on the field lines

Magnetic field lines using

Iron filings can be used to plot a magnetic field

Using a plotting compass

• Place the magnet on top of a piece of paper

• Draw a dot at one end of the magnet (near its corner)
• Place a plotting compass next to the dot, so that one end of the needle of the
compass points towards the dot
• Use a pencil to draw a new dot on the other side of the compass needle.
• Now move the compass so that it points toward the new dot, and repeat the
above process
• Keep repeating until you have a chain of dots going from one end of the
magnet to the other. Then remove the compass, and link the dots using a
smooth curve. This is the magnetic field line.
• The direction of the field line goes from north pole to the south pole of the
magnet.
o This is the same as the direction arrow on the plotting compass,
which points towards the south pole
• Repeat the process to create other magnetic field lines around the bar magnet

Using a compass to create magnetic field lines

Compasses can be used to plot the magnetic field around a bar magnet
Uses of Magnets

Uses of permanent magnets

• Uses of permanent magnets include:

o Compasses: for thousands of years humans have used compasses for
navigation, since the needle always points north
o School lab experiments: The magnets used in school science
demonstrations are permanent magnets
o Toys: Toy trains and trucks often have magnets which attach the carriages or
trailers to the engine or cab
o Fridge Magnets: These are made either of flexible magnetic material or by
sticking magnet a magnet to the back of something
Uses of electromagnets

Electromagnets have many uses including:

• MRI scanners: In hospitals, an MRI scanner is a large, cylindrical machine using

powerful electromagnets to produce diagnostic images of the organs of the body
• Speakers and earphones: The loudspeakers, microphones and earphones used in phones
and laptops use electromagnets to sense or send sound waves
• Recycling: Because steel is a magnetic material it can be easily separated from other
metals and materials using electromagnets. Once recovered the steel is re-used and
recycled, reducing mining for iron ore and processing ore into steel
• Mag-Lev Trains: The ability of Mag-Lev trains to hover above the rails is due to them
being repelled by large electromagnets on the train and track. This reduces friction and
allows speeds of nearly 400 miles per hour
ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION
Electromotive force (e.m.f) is induced when:
i. A coil of wire moves in a magnetic field
ii. A magnet moves into a coil of wire
iii. If the circuit is complete, a current will be able to flow.
iv. When motion is reversed, the direction of the induced current also reverses.

Figure 6 A coil of wire and a magnetic field

Figure7 A magnet and a coil of wire

Figure 8 A coil of wire moving upwards into the magnetic field Figure 9 A coil of wire moving downwards into the magnetic field

Figure 10 A magnet moving into a coil of wire

Figure 11 A magnet moving out of a coil
DEMONSTRATING INDUCTION
• Electromagnetic induction is used in:
o Electrical generators which convert mechanical energy to electrical energy
o Transformers which are used in electrical power transmission

• The phenomenon of electromagnetic induction can be demonstrated using

o a magnet and a coil
o a wire and a U-shaped magnet

Experiment 1: Moving a magnet through a coil

• When a coil is connected to a sensitive voltmeter, a bar magnet can be moved in and out
of the coil to induce an e.m.f.

An e.m.f is induced in a coil when a bar magnet is moved through it. This can be seen by
connecting the coil to a voltmeter

• The expected results are……….

1. When the bar magnet is stationary, the voltmeter shows a zero reading
• When the bar magnet is held inside, or outside, the coil, there is no cutting of magnetic
field lines
• As a result, no e.m.f is induced in the coil

2. When the bar magnet is moved inside the coil, there is a reading on the voltmeter
• As the bar magnet moves, its magnetic field lines are cut by the coil
• This induces an e.m.f within the coil, shown momentarily by the reading the voltmeter
3. When the bar magnet is moved back out of the coil, there is a reading on the voltmeter with
the opposite sign
• As the magnet changes direction, the direction of the current changes
• An e.m.f is induced in the opposite direction, shown momentarily by the reading on the
voltmeter with the opposite sign.

• Factors that will increase the induced e.m.f are:

o Moving the magnet faster through the coil
o Adding more turns to the coil
o Increasing the strength of the bar magnet
EXPERIMENT 2: Moving a wire through a magnet
• When a long wire is connected to a voltmeter and moved between two magnets, an e.m.f
is induced
• The pattern of a magnetic field in a wire can be investigated using this setup
o Note: There is no current flowing through the wire to start with

An e.m.f is induced in a wire when it is moved between magnetic poles. This can be seen by
connecting the wire to a voltmeter.
• The expected results are………

1. When the wire is stationary, the voltmeter shows a zero reading

• When there is no relative motion between the wire and the magnetic field, no field is
cut.
• As a result, no e.m.f is induced in the wire.

2. As the wire is moved between the magnetic poles, there is a reading on the voltmeter

• As the wire moves, it cuts the magnetic field lines of the magnet

• This induces an e.m.f in the wire, shown momentarily by the reading on the
voltmeter
 3. When the wire is moved back out of the magnet, there is a reading on the voltmeter
with the opposite sign
• As the wire changes direction, the direction of the current changes
• An e.m.f is induced in the opposite direction, shown momentarily by the reading on
the voltmeter with the opposite sign.

Factors that will increase the induced e.m.f are:

• Increasing the length of the wire

• Moving the wire between the magnets faster
• Increasing the strength of the magnets

Factors affecting the magnitude of the induced e.m.f.

1. The speed at which the wire, coil, or magnet is moved:
o Increasing the speed will increase the rate at which the magnetic field lines are
cut.
o This will increase the size of the induced e.m.f.
2. The number of turns on the coils in the wire:
o Increasing the number of turns on the coils in the wire will increase the size of the
induced e.m.f.
o This is because each turn (loop) of wire in the coil cuts the magnetic field lines.
o Therefore, the total induced e.m.f. increases with each additional turn (loop).
3. The size of the coils:
o Increasing the area of the coils will increase the size of the induced e.m.f.
o This is because there will be more wire to cut through the magnetic field lines.
4. The strength of the magnetic field:
o Increasing the strength of the magnetic field will increase the size of the induced
e.m.f.
o This is because there will be more magnetic field lines in a given area.
Factors affecting the direction of the induced e.m.f.
1. The orientation of the poles of the magnet:
o Switching the poles of the magnet induces an e.m.f. in the opposite direction.
2. The direction in which the wire, coil, or magnet is moved:
o Reversing the direction in which the wire, coil, or magnet is moved induces an
e.m.f. in the opposite direction.
Problems
1.