Reading Essentials 01 Magnetism and Its Uses
Reading Essentials 01 Magnetism and Its Uses
READ TO LEARN
Magnets STUDY COACH
Discussion After reading this
Magnets were discovered over 2000 years ago. Greeks section, use an index card to
discovered a mineral that could attract pieces of iron. This mineral write down the two most
is now called magnetite. In the twelfth century, Chinese sailors important things you learned.
Put one idea on one side and
used magnetite to make compasses. Compasses are tools that can the second idea on the back.
help you determine which direction you are traveling. Since then Form a group of four students
many items have been invented that use magnets. Magnetism to discuss your topics.
refers to the properties of magnets and how magnets interact
when they are near each other.
Magnetic force
Magnets apply a force on each other. These forces make
magnets do one of two things. The magnets can attract, which
means they pull together. Or the magnets can repel, which means
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they push each other away. How they react depends on which
ends of the magnets are close together. Two magnets interact with
each other even before they touch. As the magnets move closer
together, the force between them increases. As the magnets move
farther apart, the force decreases.
Magnetic strength
Some magnets are stronger than others. A magnet from your
refrigerator can be used to pick up paper clips, but a much
stronger magnet would be needed to lift a car.
PICTURE THIS
1. Highlighting Using a
highlighter, trace the lines
of the magnetic fields for Magnetic poles
all three types of magnets Magnetic poles are the places on a magnet that exert, or put
shown on this page. At forth, the strongest magnetic force. All magnets have a north and
which magnetic pole did
a south pole. As shown, the north and south poles are at the
you always start?
opposite ends of a bar magnet. The lines that represent the
At north
magnetic field are closest together at the poles.
The next figures show the
magnetic poles of two magnets with N
Repe
Attra
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Magnetic field direction
A compass needle is a small bar magnet. The force exerted
by another bar magnet will make the compass needle turn.
The needle turns until it lines up with magnetic field lines. The
south pole in a compass needle is attracted to the north pole of
a magnet.
N
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education
Earth’s magnetic poles A compass needle lines up with Earth’s PICTURE THIS
magnetic field lines. The needle always points toward Earth’s 2. Determine Write an N on
M07_012A-668304 the figure to show where
geographic north pole. Remember that magnetic poles are
Earth’s north magnetic pole
attracted only to their opposite. So, even though the compass is is. Write an S on the figure
pointing at the geographic north pole of Earth, the north pole of to show where Earth’s south
the compass is pointing at the south magnetic pole of Earth. magnetic pole is.
S N S S S S
NN S S S
S N SN S
N
N N
S N S S
N S N N
N N S S S N N N
S N S
N
S S N S S
S S S N
S S S S
S N N S N N
N N N N N S N S S N S S
N S
S N N S N N N S
S S S N N S N
N N N N S
N S S S N
N S S N N N S
S
S N
N NS N S N S
N
S N N S S N
S S
S S
S
S N N N N N N
N S N N S S
S N S S S S N
N N S S N
S S N
S N N N N N
M07_002A-685545 M07_003A-685545
Lining up domains One way to make the domains line up is to
touch a bar magnet to the nail. Many of the domains will rotate
and point in the same direction because of the magnetic field of
the magnet. Now the nail acts like a magnet. The right figure on
the previous page shows domains that have lined up.
If the bar magnet is taken away, the atoms in the nail move
around and bump each other. This causes the domains to move
out of line. This is why a nail is not always a magnet.
Permanent magnets
A permanent magnet is any magnet whose domains remain
aligned without an external field.
Making permanent magnets Permanent magnets can be made
by heating magnetic material, such as iron, and letting it cool in a
strong magnetic field. The strong magnetic field causes the
magnetic domains to line up and combine to make a strong
magnetic field inside the material. This field keeps the atoms
from bumping the domains out of line. The material becomes a
permanent magnet.
How long does a magnet last? Heating a permanent magnet
causes it to lose its magnetism. Heat causes the atoms in the
magnet to move faster. This moves the domains out of line.
The permanent magnet will then lose its magnetic field.
S N
S
N