Hard Magnets (Magnetic)– Zooming In

Group Task – Describe the difference

• Tell me the difference between oil and a carbon atom

vs
 Important! – Sense Level vs Subatomic
• Things become freaky below the sense level

vs
 But that won’t stop us! – Group Task
• If magnetic fields are ultimately caused by electron spins, what can we conclude?
 Becoming less objective…
• Magnetic fields are ultimately electrostatic fields
• We’ll stop here (for now)
 But if you’ve ever wandered….
• Electromagnetism is one of the four fundamental forces
 Worth noting…
• Nikola Tesla was not a fan of Einstein’s Quantum theories
Magnets – Zooming In
Domains:

• Stripes visible within each grain

• Contain billions of atoms perfectly lined up

• Formed during heating/cooling

Magnets – Zooming In
 Life Advice
• Don’t take things at face value. Probe.
Electron Microscope Image?
 Concept-Check Riddle – Group Task
Two Minutes: What connects these three ideas?

1. Darkness
2. Coldness
3. The South Pole of a Magnet
 Concept-Check Riddle
• They only exist with the other’s absence
• Magnets are dipolar
• Magnets attract so that the domains/field lines align
 Concept-Check Riddle
Iron filings/compass heads in a magnetic field try to align with the field
 Review – Group Task
• Where are most of the iron filings? Why?
• Why do the filings form ‘non-continuous’ lines?
• (With no magnet nearby) A compass needle points to what? Why?
• What happens when a magnet is placed near a compass?
 Soft Magnets (Ferromagnetic)– Group Task
• What is a soft magnet?
• Is wood one?
• How do you magnetize it?
 Force!

(Soft) Ferromagnetic Material:

Iron, Cobalt, Nickel, Gadolinium, Dysprosium

Domain movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzxTqQ40wSU

 Great Job!
• You’re starting to use first principles
• You’re solving problems yourself
• This IS engineering
 Life Advice - Force
• Be wary of those who use coercion.
 A Magnet and Credit Card – Group Task
What happens?
 Great Job!
• You just applied the Physics to a real-life situation
 A Model of Domains in Magnets
• This video may help you visualize the domains better
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgwReDkpq6E
 A Bar Magnet on Water - Brainstorm
• Predict what will happen when you float a hard magnet on water
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FQCEJ8XQYc
 Engineering Task – Group Work
• Let’s apply the Physics:
• You have an iron nail, a piece of cork (sponge) and a bowl of water. You must
choose the best magnet for the situation. Detail the steps for making a compass,
and the theory behind it. Be specific. You can draw a diagram if you wish (8
marks)

+ + Magnet
Engineering Task – Group Work
• The needle is soft magnetic material (1) containing domains (1) which are aligned randomly (1)
An external magnetic field can be applied (1) to order the domains uniformly (1) and magnetize
the material (1) I would use a ‘U’ magnet (1) The domains inside the nail will align with the field
of the ‘U’ magnet, thus magnetizing it (1) I would be careful when removing the external magnet,
as this could randomise the domains again (1) The needle can be placed on the cork, on top of the
cork (1) Allow it to settle (1) The needle will align with the Earth’s magnetic field (1) one end will
point to Magnetic South (1) You can draw on the directions for your compass (1) [If not a U-
magnet] – stroke with one pole (1) in one direction (1)

If you’re confused: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7C2Pf3cuv0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyXaM-Q6HME

 Review Questions – Group Work
• What happens if you hammer a bar magnet?
• What is the smallest part of any magnet?
• What ways can you destroy a magnet? What happens to it?
 Applying an External Magnetic Field
What happens?
 Force!

Soft Iron Steel

 Coercivity and Retentivity – Group Task
Compare and explain the coercivity and retentivity of soft iron and Steel. Which is
therefore the best material to build an electromagnet with? (8 marks)

Soft Iron Steel

 Coercivity and Retentivity – Group Task
Soft iron has low coercivity/high susceptibility (1) It requires a small coercive force to alter the
domain alignment and induce magnetism (2) It also has small retentively (1) Thus, it’s easy to
force the material back to its original state (1), by removing the external magnetic field or
applying a negative force (1) It’s ideal for an electromagnet, it can be turned ‘on’ and ‘off’ easily
(1). Steel has high coercivity/low susceptibility (1) It requires a huge force to alter the domain
alignment due to the presence of carbon atoms ‘locking’ the domains (1). It has a high retentivity
(1) meaning it retains magnetism (1) unless a huge negative coercive force is applied (1)

Steel
 Great Job!
• You just used first principles to solve a difficult question!
 Coercivity and Retentivity
Conclusions: Soft iron vs Steel

Soft Iron Steel

Hysteresis
 Hysteresis – Exam Question (7 marks)
Describe the hysteresis
graph (7 marks)
Hysteresis – Exam Question (7 marks)
Lets assume the material is ferromagnetic but initially has zero magnetism (1) Applying an
external magnetic field to the material will magnetize it (1) in the ‘positive direction’ (1) If this
external field is removed, the material loses some magnetism (1) it retains most of it (1) If an
external magnetic field is applied in an opposite direction to before (1) it can force the material
back to a state of zero magnetism (1) If the external magnetic field strength is increased even
more, the magnetization will increase in the ‘negative direction’ (1) The material will then
require a positive external magnetic field to push it to zero magnetism again (1) and even more
external field to push it back to a positive magnetization (1)
Example Exam Question (7 marks)
Q) Explain/Speculate on the Physics of the crane’s electromagnet below:

Group Task – 7 minutes (First Principles)

 Example Exam Question (7 marks)
Q) The electromagnet on the crane produces a strong magnetic field (1) This can be applied on
the ferromagnetic (soft magnetic) material below it (1) The external field changes the alignment
of the domains in the material (1) The electromagnet therefore attracts the material so that the
domains can line up between the materials (1) When the electromagnet is turned off, it loses its
magnetism (1) It must be made of soft ferromagnetic material (1) such as iron (1) to allow it to
return to a state of zero magnetism (1) This is achieved by removing the external magnetic field
applied to the soft iron core, or applying a negative coercive force (2) The electromagnet can
hence and hence drag and drop the metal where required (1)
 Great Job!
• Explaining the Physics
• Applying to real life
• First principles
 Life Advice - 10,000 baht writing lesson
“Simple writing is persuasive”

1) If you can delete a word: Do it

“He was very happy” -> “He was happy”

2) Write short sentences. Use simple words.

3) Use Active not Passive

“The ball was hit by the boy” -> “The boy hit the ball”

https://thoughtcapital.wordpress.com/2007/04/22/george-orwells-6-rules-for-writing/
What we’ve looked at
• Magnet-on-magnet interactions:
• The first principles
• Application to real-life
What we must learn next..
• Where does magnetism come from?
• How are electromagnets made? – Later!
More Real-Life Application - Magnetism
• The Shinkasen train - Electromagnets
• Changing polarity allows ‘push and pull’ of train along the track’
 Origin of Magnetic Fields – Group Task
• Where do magnetic fields come from?
Origin of Magnetic Fields

Lodestone
Earth’s Magnetism –Origin is Unclear

What can you conclude about the Earth’s magnetic field?

Earth - Magnetism
Magnetic Fields
• Symbol: ‘B’
• Unit ‘Tesla’ (‘T’)
• Line spacing important
 Magnetic Fields – Group Task
•The SI units for magnetic field strength are T = . So, what can we conclude
about magnetic fields?
 Magnetic Fields – Group Task
• The field’s strength is actually defined by its effect on a moving charge
• Remember earlier?
Drawing Magnetic Field Lines – Group Task
Into the page To the right of the page

Out of the page Up the page

 Magnetic Field + Charged Particle – Group Task
What happens when a charged particle is projected into a magnetic field?