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Magnetism & Electromagnetism

Magnetism & Electromagnetism · 1 question type

Exam Frequency Analysis

Past paper frequency (2018 to 2024)

This topic accounts for approximately 9% of your exam marks.

stable
Medium
Stable9%

Magnetic field patterns, the motor effect and Fleming's Left-Hand Rule tested in most series.

Permanent magnets

  • A permanent magnet is made from a magnetically hard material (like steel or a special rare-earth alloy)
  • It produces its own magnetic field and keeps doing so even when no other magnet is nearby
  • A permanent magnet does not need a current to work

Induced magnets

  • An induced magnet is a piece of that has been temporarily turned into a magnet by sitting in another magnet's field
  • The end of the induced magnet closest to the inducing magnet's pole takes the opposite sign (so the two are attracted)
  • The induced magnetism is lost almost as soon as the original magnet is removed, so soft iron releases its magnetism within a fraction of a second
  • Induced magnetism is why a paperclip will hang from a bar magnet, and a second paperclip can then hang from the first one, and so on, forming a short chain. Each clip is briefly magnetised by the one above it
A magnetic material placed near a bar magnet becomes an induced magnet: the end nearest the magnet's pole takes the opposite pole, so the near end of the material is attracted to the magnet
Source: Permanent & Induced Magnets by Save My Exams