Basics of Magnetism by Ron Kurtus (revised 6 October 2006) Magnetism is a force of attraction or repulsion that acts at a distance.

It is due to a magnetic field, which is caused by moving electrically charged particles or is inherent in magnetic objects such as a magnet. A magnet is an object that exhibits a strong magnetic field and will attract materials like iron to it. Magnets have two poles, called the north (N) and south (S) poles. Two magnets will be attached by their opposite poles, and each will repel the like pole of the other magnet. Magnetism has many uses in modern life. Questions you may have include:
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What is a magnetic field? What are magnets? How is magnetism used?

This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson Magnetic field A magnetic field consists of imaginary lines of flux coming from moving or spinning electrically charged particles. Examples include the spin of a proton and the motion of electrons through a wire in an electric circuit. What a magnetic field actually consists of is somewhat of a mystery, but we do know it is a special property of space.

Magnetic field or lines of flux of a moving charged particle

Names of poles The lines of magnetic flux flow from one end of the object to the other. By convention, we call one end of a magnetic object the N or North-seeking pole and the other the S or South-seeking pole, as related to the Earth's North and South magnetic poles. The magnetic flux is defined as moving from N to S. Magnets Although individual particles such as electrons can have magnetic fields, larger objects such as a piece of iron can also have a magnetic field, as a sum of the fields of its particles. If a larger object exhibits a sufficiently great magnetic field, it is called a magnet. Magnetic force The magnetic field of an object can create a magnetic force on other objects with magnetic fields. That force is what we call magnetism. When a magnetic field is applied to a moving electric charge, such as a moving proton or the electrical current in a wire, the force on the charge is called a Lorentz force. Attraction When two magnets or magnetic objects are close to each other, there is a force that attracts the poles together.

Force attracts N to S

Magnets also strongly attract ferromagnetic materials such as iron, nickel and cobalt. Repulsion When two magnetic objects have like poles facing each other, the magnetic force pushes them apart.

Force pushes magnetic objects apart Magnets can also weakly repel diamagnetic materials Magnetic and electric fields The magnetic and electric fields are both similar and different. They are also inter-related. Electric charges and magnetism similar Just as the positive (+) and negative () electrical charges attract each other, the N and S poles of a magnet attract each other. In electricity like charges repel, and in magnetism like poles repel. Electric charges and magnetism different The magnetic field is a dipole field. That means that every magnet must have two poles.

On the other hand, a positive (+) or negative () electrical charge can stand alone. Electrical charges are called monopoles, since they can exist without the opposite charge. Summary Magnetism is a force that acts at a distance and is caused by a magnetic field. The magnetic force strongly attracts an opposite pole of another magnet and repels a like pole. The magnetic field is both similar and different than an electric field. Mini-quiz to check your understanding 1. What does the movement of an electric charge cause? The movement of a magnetic charge An electron or proton A magnetic field 2. What happens when two objects with magnetic fields are brought near each other? A magnetic force either causes attraction or repulsion A magnetic force will cause electrical charges The objects will become magnets 3. Is a magnet a dipole or monopole? Monopole, because it is one magnet Dipole, because it has two poles It depends if the poles are like or different If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Physics. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again. www.school-for-champions.com/science/magnetism.htm.

A magnetic field is a field of force produced by moving electric charges, by electric fields that vary in time, and by the 'intrinsic' magnetic field of elementary particles associated with the spin of the particle. There are two separate but closely related fields to which the name 'magnetic field' can refer: a magnetic B field and a magnetic H field. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude (or strength); as such it is a vector field.[nb 2] The magnetic field is most commonly defined in terms of the Lorentz force it exerts on moving electric charges. The relationship between the magnetic and electric fields, and the currents and charges that create them, is described by the set of Maxwell's equations. In special relativity, electric and magnetic fields are two interrelated aspects of a single object, called the electromagnetic field tensor; the aspect of the electromagnetic field that is seen as a magnetic field is dependent on the reference frame of the observer. In quantum physics, the electromagnetic field is quantized and electromagnetic interactions result from the exchange of photons. Magnetic fields have had many uses in ancient and modern society. The Earth produces its own magnetic field, which is important in navigation since the north pole of a compass points toward the south pole of Earth's magnetic field, located near the Earth's geographical north. Rotating magnetic fields are utilized in both electric motors and generators. Magnetic forces give information about the charge carriers in a material through the Hall effect. The interaction of magnetic fields in electric devices such as transformers is studied in the discipline of magnetic circuits.

Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/magnetic-field#ixzz1JNWmCwDy Create Magnetic Field by Ron Kurtus (29 April 2009) When an electrical charge is moving or an electric current passes through a wire, a circular magnetic field is created. This can be seen with iron shavings or filings on a card that will align in the magnetic field when a current is passed through a nearby wire. Using standard conventions for the direction of electric current and magnetic lines of force, the direction of the magnetic can be determined by what is called the right-hand rule for magnetic field. The direction of the magnetic field can be demonstrated by using compasses. Questions you may have include:
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What happens when electricity goes through a wire? What are the electrical and magnetic conventions?

What is the right-hand rule for current through a wire?

Magnetic field around wire When a charged particlesuch as an electron, proton or ionis in motion, magnetic lines of force rotate around the particle. Since electrical current moving through a wire consists of electrons in motion, there is a magnetic field around the wire. This field can be demonstrated by placing fine iron filings or shavings on a car and sticking a wire through the middle of the card. When a DC electrical current is passed through the wire, the iron filings align to show the magnetic field.

Iron filings show magnetic field around electric wire Conventions for electricity and magnetism Certain conventions are used to determine the direction of the magnetic field with respect to the direction of the current. Direction of electrical current Although electrons have a negative () electrical charge and move toward the positive (+) terminal in a wire, the convention is that electrical current moves from positive (+) to negative (). It is an unfortunate choice that was made years ago, but you need to be aware of the convention. Direction of magnetic field The convention for a magnetic field is that the lines of force move from north (N) to south (S). We don't know if they move in that direction or not, but it is just a convention that everyone follows. Right-hand rule for magnetic field

The right-hand rule for determining the direction of the magnetic field is that if you wrapped your right hand around a wire with your thumb pointing in the direction of the electrical current, then your fingers would be in the direction of the magnetic field.

Right-hand rule for electric wire Verification with a compass You can verify the direction of the magnetic field by placing one or more compasses on a card and observing their direction.

Compasses show direction of magnetic field Note that the current must be DC (direct current), such as from a battery. Otherwise with AC, the direction of the current and magnetic field will alternate 50 or 60 times a second. Summary

When electric current passes through a wire, a circular magnetic field is created. Iron filings on a card can demonstrate the magnetic field when current is passed through a nearby wire. Using standard conventions for the direction of electric current and magnetic lines of force, the direction of the magnetic can be determined by what is called the right-hand rule. The direction of the magnetic field can be demonstrated by using compasses. Mini-quiz to check your understanding 1. How do iron filings prove there is a magnetic field around an electric wire? They form a circular pattern as soon as the electricity is turned on The filings fly off the card when the current is turned on They don't prove anything, because it is a magic trick 2. What are the conventions for electric current and magnetic fields? Current goes from () to (+) and the magnetic field goes from N to S Current goes from (+) to () and the magnetic field goes from S to N Current goes from (+) to () and the magnetic field goes from N to S 3. What does placing compasses around an electric wire prove? You can tell which way is North You can see the direction of the magnetic field when the current is flowing You can see the magnetic field whether the current is flowing or not

In my continued study of natural health, I was very surprised to find that some of the uses of magnets actually fall into the realm of health. Magnetic therapy claims to give positive health benefits to its patients by exposing certain areas of their bodies to magnetic fields. It's not unlike LED light therapy which directs a portion of the light spectrum into certain areas of the patient's body, promoting positive health benefits as well.

There are many uses for magnets and magnetism in our modern culture, and in many ways, magnetic fields in general are looking to be the way of the future. Some magnets are very powerful and generate broad magnetic fields. Others are very small and fit in the palm of your hand. Here are just a few of the many uses of magnets in our modern world. 1. Magnetic Bracelets. Proponents of magnetic therapy have come up with a way to always be in contact with a magnetic field. They claim that close proximity with magnetic fields increase health, energy, and vitality, and also things like blood flow and organ function. Many products are now sold that have magnets as their central purpose and the magnetic bracelet is the most common. Opponents of magnetic therapy claim that the only reason things like magnetic bracelets have any effect is because of the placebo effect, that since the users think they're working and giving them more vitality and energy, that the actual effect manifests itself. 2. In the Yard. In having done many construction projects, having a wide walk behind magnet on wheels to pick up loose nails and screws is essential. It was quite fun rolling this magnet around because it picked up all of the iron flecks in the dirt which was pretty neat to watch. 3. In Generators and Electric Engines. Thinking of building an electric motor or a generator? You'll need a magnet. By moving a conductor through a magnetic field, you can create electric energy, like in a generator. Generators use fuel to create physical energy that gets converted to electric energy, by moving the conductor through a magnetic field. In motors, the process is the opposite. They take electric energy and convert it into physical energy. 4. Anti-gravity. Though no one has yet invented an anti-gravity machine, scientists are using the opposing pulls of magnets to push metal objects up from the ground and suspend them in midair. This has fascinating and exciting possibilities, train cars for weightless travel being the most utilized. Did you know that the maximum recorded speed of a magnetically levitated train is 581 kilometers per hour (361 mph). That's pretty fast! 5. Experiments and Trinkets. A lot of interesting experiments and desktop trinkets are being made that show the interaction between magnetic fields, or simply levitate objects. Among my favorites is the magnetic levitating stand pictured to the right. Utilizing opposing magnetic fields, you can cause objects to float weightlessly on your desk. Pretty neat trick. If whole trains are capable of being levitated, I don't think that a picture frame should be too much of a challenge. Magnetic fields are amazing. Mankind has always needed and heavily relied on them. Since the beginning of time we've needed the natural magnetic field generated by the Earth's core in order to ward off dangerous solar radiation. A little known fact is that the Earth's

magnetic field is what causes the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights. The core of the Earth itself is magnetic, and it draws radiation from outer space toward the north and south poles, causing the radiation to dance along the upper atmosphere, creating some beautiful colors. An otherwise very dangerous level of radiation is transformed into a beautiful light display by the Earth's core. The reason it seems to show up only rarely is because it's generally only heavily visible during periods of extra intense solar radiation, like solar flares from the sun. I hope that after you're done reading this article, you'll have a greater admiration and respect for magnetic fields and the wide range of uses of magnets that mankind has discovered.

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