INTRODUCTION

Magnets
A magnet is an object that will produce a magnetic field around it. The magnetic field will attract ferrous materials like iron or nickel. It also attracts or repels other magnets depending, on the polarity of the other magnets. Permanent magnets are made from materials that will remain magnetized and are hence able to maintain the magnetic field around them continuously. An example is the small magnets used to hold notes on refrigerator doors. Ferromagnetic materials like iron, cobalt and nickel have a very strong attraction towards magnets. Some ferromagnetic materials will become magnetic when exposed to a magnetic field for a long time. They will be able to retain the magnetic properties even after the field is removed. Other "soft" ferromagnetic materials will lose their magnetism once the magnetic field disappears. When an electric current flows through a coiled wire, an electromagnet will be produced. However, when the current is removed, the magnetic properties will be lost. By placing ferromagnetic materials in the middle of the coil, the magnetic strength of the coil will be increased many times over.

The magnetic strength of an electromagnet depends on the number of turns of wire around the electromagnet's core, the current through the wire and the size of the iron core. Increasing these factors can result in an electromagnet that is much larger and stronger than a natural magnet. For example, there is no known natural magnet that is able to pick up a large steel object such as a car, but industrial electromagnets are capable of such a task. Strong electromagnets are often used in areas of heavy industry to move large pieces of iron or steel. They are commonly employed in junkyards, where a crane with a huge electromagnet is used to pick up, move and drop old, junked cars. Electromagnets are extremely strong magnets. They are produced by placing a metal core (usually an iron alloy) inside a coil of wire carrying an electric current. The electricity in the current produces a magnetic field. The strength of the magnet is directly proportional to the strength of the current and the number of coils of wire. Its polarity depends on the direction of flow of current.

While the current flows, the core behaves like a magnet. However, as soon as the current stops,

the core is demagnetized. Electromagnets are most useful when a magnet must be switched on and off as in large cranes used to lift cables and rods in construction. What is Magnetism? Magnetism refers to physical phenomena arising from the force between magnets, objects that produce fields that attract or repel other objects. All materials experience magnetism, some more strongly than others. Permanent magnets, made from materials such as iron, experience the strongest effects, known as ferromagnetism. This is the only form of magnetism strong enough to be felt by people. Some materials are called non-magnetic, because their magnetic effects are so small. Magnetism can also vary depending on temperature and other factors.

Magnetic fields A magnetic field is a way of mathematically describing how magnetic materials and electric currents interact. Magnetic fields have both a direction and a magnitude, or strength. Magnets have a "north" pole and a "south" pole. Opposite poles attract each other and alike poles repel each other. These poles are referred to as a magnetic dipole. Magnetic dipoles and electric currents both give rise to magnetic fields. .

Magnetic force Magnetic fields exert a force on particles in the field, called the Lorentz force. The motion of electrically charged particles gives rise to magnetism. The magnetic force acting on a single electric charge depends on the size of the charge, its speed, and the strengths of the electric and magnetic fields. How Electromagnets Work

Bibliography Resources: Levarn, Maxine. 2003. Science Fair Projects for Dummies. Wiley Publishing, Inc. Indianapolis,

Indiana

Electromagnets If a soft iron bar is placed inside the solenoid, and the current switched on, the iron bar becomes temporarily magnetised. This is the principle of the ELECTROMAGNET. The strength of an electromagnet depends on:

the strength of the current passing through the coil, the greater the current, the greater the strength; the number of turns in the coils, the greater the number of coils, the greater the strength; whether the core is made up of a soft or hard magnetic material. Soft iron will magnetise more readily than steel.

ranes with electromagnetic lift are also known as electromagnetic cranes. Such cranes are used widely in lifting and moving scrap metals. Even in a production line of many products, electromagnetic lifts are used to lift and move metal objects. Electromagnets have special simplicity and many advantages to other lifting tools. They are faster and easier to work with.

Mechanical Crane

Material and instructions In this project you will make a working model of a electromagnetic lift and a electromagnetic crane. Materials needed for this experiment such as metal parts, wood and magnet wire can be found at home or purchased locally. Details of this project More information or support for this project is available at members section of ScienceProject.com. You may also find a Science kit for this topic at MiniScience.com.

Currents and magnetic fields

All currents have a magnetic field around them. All the cables connecting electrical appliances to the mains in your home will have magnetic fields around them, and so do the large electricity power lines you can see on pylons outside. A straight wire has a circular magnetic field around it. A coil of wire has a magnetic field around it, that is the same shape as a bar magnet. If the conventional current flows the other way, the magnetic field will be in the opposite direction. As you move further away from the wire, the magnetic field gets weaker, which is why the lines are drawn further apart. These types of magnets are called electromagnets. They are temporary magnets as they can be turned on and off with the current. Normal bar magnets are permanent magnets because it is very difficult for them to lose their magnetism. Electromagnets are far more useful than permanent magnets because:

1. 2. 3.

They can be switched on and off. The strength of the magnetic field can be changed, by altering the current. They can easily be made into a variety of shapes and are less expensive to make. The magnetic field around a coil electromagnet can be increased by:

1. 2. 3.

Increasing the current in the wire. Putting more loops on the coil Placing an iron or steel core inside of the coil. Iron and steel behave slightly differently as cores, because iron is magnetically soft and steel is magnetically hard.

Magnetically soft, for example, iron:

Magnetically hard, for example, steel:

- Easy to magnetise.

- Harder to magnetise.

- Loses its magnetism quickly when the current is switched off. - Stays magnetic after the current is switched off.

Most electromagnetic devices use iron as the core, because they want the magnetism to change quickly.

The motor effect

When two magnets are close together, they affect each other and produce a force. The same happens when any two magnetic fields are close together. If a wire carrying a current is placed in a magnetic field a force is produced. This is called the motor effect. The direction of the force will depend on the direction of the magnetic field and the direction of the current in the field. Note: The current, magnetic field and force will always be at right angles to each other, so the wire will not move towards the poles. So why does this happen? The magnetic field from the current is affected by the magnetic field from the magnet; this produces a force. To make the force bigger:

Increase the size of the current. Increase the strength of the permanent magnet.