What Is A Magnet?

Magnets are objects (made out of magnetic materials) that produce a magnetic field. Magnets
pull other objects made of magnetic materials towards them. They will either attract or repel other
magnets. Magnets always have two poles: a north pole and a south pole. Each pole of a magnet
is attracted to the opposite pole of another magnet (e.g. the north pole of one magnet will be
attracted to the south pole of another magnet, and vice versa). If you put the north pole of one
magnet near the south pole of another magnet you will be able to feel them pulling towards each
other. However, if you put the north pole of one magnet to the north pole of another, or the south
pole of one magnet to the south pole of another, then you will be able to feel them pushing away
from each other. The two sides of a magnet are called north and south poles because if a
magnet is able to spin freely, the north pole of the magnet will always end up pointing towards
the Earth’s North Pole.In fact, the magnet will point at the Earth’s Magnetic North Pole, which is
near to – but not the same as – the Geographic North Pole.That’s because the world is like one
big magnet, with its own magnetic north and magnetic south poles. The Earth’s core is made of
iron, which is what causes its magnetism and produces its magnetic field. Some materials are
naturally highly magnetic, and can be made into magnets. These materials are ‘ferromagnetic’.
Ferromagnetic materials include iron, nickel, cobalt and (most of) their alloys (an alloy is a
mixture of a metal and another element), such as steel.

Types Of Magnets
Permanent Magnets

After being ‘magnetized’ (made into magnets), some ferromagnetic materials don’t lose their
magnetic power. This is the property of being magnetically ‘hard’. Other materials are
magnetically ‘soft’, and do not retain their magnetism. Magnets that keep their magnetism are
known as ‘permanent magnets’. Two common types of permanent magnets are the bar magnet
and the horseshoe magnet. Bar magnets are narrow rectangular in shape, and their north and
south poles are at opposite ends of the bar.Horseshoe magnets are like bar magnets that have
been bent round into a thin ‘U’ shape. One of the tips is the north pole, the other the south
pole.All substances have a degree of magnetism, but those least affected by a magnetic field are
known as ‘non-magnetic’ substances. These include plastics, copper, and gases.

Another type of magnet is an electromagnet.

Electromagnets work because an electric current produces a magnetic field.Electromagnetism

was discovered in 1820 by Hans Christian Ørsted, a Danish scientist. He noticed that a freely
hanging compass needle moved when brought close to a wire carrying an electric current.Unlike
a permanent magnet, an electromagnet’s magnetism disappears when the current is turned off.If
the wire carrying the electric current is coiled, the magnetic affect is stronger. If the wire is coiled
around a piece of iron then the effect is stronger still.The first electromagnet was invented by
British scientist William Sturgeon in 1824, who wrapped wire around a horseshoe-shaped iron
bar.A magnetic field is the magnetic effect of a magnet. It is invisible, but can be detected with a
compass or another magnet.If you could see the magnetic field of a magnet, it would look like a
series of curved lines going between the north and south poles.If you sprinkle iron filings on a
sheet of paper, and place a magnet under the sheet of paper, the iron filings will arrange
themselves into ‘lines of force’, showing the magnet’s magnetic field.
Uses Of Magnets:Magnets and electromagnets have many uses in the
modern world. From the simplest fridge magnets, to advanced computer data storage
systems, we rely on magnets and magnetism to perform a wide range of tasks.

Compasses :One of the first uses of magnetism was to make compasses.

Because the needle of a compass is a magnet, it will always spin round to align itself with
the Earth’s magnetic field. Using a compass, an explorer will always know which way is
north, and therefore the direction in which he is headed.

Computer Hard Drives: A computer’s hard drive is used to store data such
as emails, pictures and movies. At the heart of a computer hard drive is a spinning disc
with a magnetic surface. The data is stored on the disc in the form of magnetic patterns.

Speakers:Speakers use magnetism to

convert electrical sound information into sound
waves. The electrical signal is passed through a
coil that is attached to the speaker cone. The coil is
hung between the poles of a permanent magnet.
The coil becomes an electromagnet and is forced to
move by the magnet, which in turn vibrates the
speaker cone and produces sound.