Magnetism

Introduction 

The importance of magnetism in the subject of physics is not even a question. From the very basic level in the junior classes we have been taught how we can have fun with the various types of magnets and what are the different things that we can do with magnets. But as we proceed to the high levels in physics, we get to know magnetism in reality and how it is different from the concepts that we were really taught when we were in the junior classes. 

Magnets 

Magnets are those types of substances that in junior classes are used to identify metals and how they can be distinguished from the non-metals. But again as discussed earlier as we progress from the junior level to the senior level we get to know what are the different uses of a magnet rather than just getting to know which object is metal. 

As we progress along, we also get to study about the various properties of magnets. Now, an interesting fact is that the concept of magnetism can be both daunting and beautiful at the same time. Now, in this article we will talk about everything related to magnets. 

Properties of Magnets 

In this section, we will talk about the various properties of magnets and that too in detail. Now, the first property of a magnet is that the field that is generated from the magnets is called the magnetic field. The second property of the magnet is the most interesting property of the magnet and it states that the magnetic field that is produced is usually made by both the electrical and the magnetic appeals of that particular magnet. 

The concept of magnetism also gave rise to the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction and electromagnetism. Electromagnetism is the type of process which has the motive of producing magnets or magnetism with the help of electricity. Now the most important property of a magnet is that every magnet has two poles namely the north pole and the south pole. If we are to suspend a magnet without any external push or freely then it has been brought to the observation that it will always point to the north and the south. The most interesting and the best law of magnets is that eventually after magnets were discovered, it was found that the force of the magnets is more at the poles than in the middle. The last property of magnets is the most simple and the easiest to understand one. It states that all magnets irrespective of their magnetic strength attract ferromagnetic materials which include materials like iron, nickel and cobalt. 

Types of magnets 

There are different types of magnets but in this article we will talk about the magnets that include some of the most common types and the first type are the permanent magnets. These are the magnets that produce the magnetic field around its location for a long period of time. The only thing that can determine exactly where the field will end is the size of the magnet. If we are to go into detail then we will have to discuss some kind of the materials also like the ferromagnetic materials. The ferromagnetic materials are those types of materials that are attracted the most by magnets.

The next type of magnet is temporary magnets. The temporary magnets are the magnets which do not have a magnetic field that can last a long time. The last type of magnet is the electromagnet which only acts like a magnet when an electric current is passed through it. Magnets are also used in the geological field, where fossil fuels and carbon dating are being done. Magnets are one of the materials that have been used for a very long period of time for the differences between the materials that can be termed as metals and the non-metals. 

It is a very simple concept or fact that the materials or even the substances that are attracted by the magnets are called metals and the substances that are not attracted by the magnets are called non-metals. 

Magnets as a case of metals and non-metals

Above, we have already mentioned the fact that a magnet is used to distinguish between a metal and a non- metal and we can simply do that by doing a very easy step. The step is that whenever we bring a magnet close to any substance we can very easily see that the part that was initially metallic will be drawn towards the magnet and the part that is not metallic will remain in place. The interesting fact about this is the fact that if the part even moves a little bit we can conclude that the field is a weak field.

Conclusion

The concept of magnetism is one of the most important and oldest concepts in the subject of physics. There are many laws in this topic that are the most important and lay down the foundations for the concept. Magnetism is one of those topics in which the laws that are discussed are the ones that are also involved in other concepts of physics like alternating current and electromagnetic induction.