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Magnets and Magnetism Facts & Worksheets

Magnetism is one aspect of the combined electromagnetic force. It refers to physical phenomena arising from the force caused by magnets, objects that produce fields that attract or repel other objects.

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Magnetism is one aspect of the combined electromagnetic force. It refers to physical phenomena arising from the force caused by magnets, objects that produce fields that attract or repel other objects.

See the fact file below for more information on the magnets and magnetism or alternatively, you can download our 29-page Magnets and Magnetism worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

WHAT ARE MAGNETS?

  • Magnets are rocks or metals that can pull other metals towards them.
  • They are objects producing magnetic fields and attract metals like iron, nickel, and cobalt.
  • A magnet creates an invisible area of magnetism all around it called a magnetic field.
  • The lines of force of the magnetic field exit the magnet from its north pole and enter its south pole.
  • William Thomson (Lord Kelvin, 1850) developed the equation B = μH in characterizing magnetization.
  • Magnets always attract or repel other metals. The reason is every magnet has two poles: a north and a south pole. North and south poles attract each other BUT two north poles or two south poles push each other apart.
  • Permanent magnets create their own magnetic field while the temporary magnets produce magnetic fields in the presence of a magnetic field and for a short while after exiting the field.
  • Only three elements, iron, nickel, and cobalt, show the property of ferromagnetism – the strongest type of magnetism.
  • We all know magnets are most effective if made from metal elements.
  • However, other materials also produce magnets.
  • Our planet Earth is a big magnet with a North and a South pole. Its magnetic field extends from the Earth’s interior out into space. But its magnetic poles are not in the same place as the geographic poles.
  • As of 2019, the North Magnetic Pole is found within the Arctic Ocean and the South is found in Antarctica.

THE HISTORY AND CONCEPT OF MAGNETISM

  • Ancient people in China used geomantic compasses in Feng Shui.
  • Magnetism was later used for navigation in western nations as early as the 13th century.
  • By the beginning of 17th-century English physician and scientist William Gilbert published On Magnets, a scientific study of magnetism, and proposed that Earth is a giant magnet.
  • In the later years, Hans Christian Oersted, André–Marie Ampère, Dominique Arago, and Michael Faraday explored the close connections between electricity and magnetism.
  • However, it was James Clerk Maxwell who expanded the theory of electromagnetism.
  • Paul Langevin explained how magnetism is affected by heat.
  • Samuel Abraham Goudsmit and George Eugene Uhlenbeck showed how magnetic properties of materials result from the spinning motion of electrons inside them.
  • All materials experience magnetism, some more strongly than others.
  • Ferromagnetism is the only form of magnetism strong enough to be felt by people.
  • Magnetism originates from electrons. They are negatively charged particles producing a very weak magnetic field. However, when many of these electrons point in the same direction they can pull metals to them.
  • The strength of magnetism depends on the distance of two magnetic objects: it is strongest when close to each other and falls off quickly when moved away.
  • The strength of magnetic fields is measured in units called gauss and tesla (modern SI unit, from Nikola Tesla, 1856–1943).

TYPES OF MAGNETISM

  • Five basic types of magnetism are based on the magnetic behavior of materials.
  • Ferromagnetism – Iron, cobalt, nickel, and gadolinium exhibit strong magnetic effects. These magnets can magnetize themselves by inducing to be magnetic or made into permanent magnets.
  • Ferrimagnetism – a type of permanent magnetism that occurs in solids in which the magnetic fields spontaneously align themselves and takes place chiefly in magnetic oxides known as ferrites.
  • Paramagnetism – a weaker form of magnetism observed in substances displaying a positive response to an applied magnetic field.
  • Antiferromagnetism – a type of magnetism in solids in which adjacent ions that behave as tiny magnets spontaneously align themselves at low temperatures into opposite arrangements throughout the material exhibiting no external magnetism.
  • Diamagnetism – associated with materials having negative magnetic susceptibility. It manifests in nonmagnetic substances like graphite, copper, silver, and gold, and in the superconducting state of certain elemental and compound metals.

WHAT IS ELECTROMAGNETISM?

  • Scientists in the 1700s discovered that magnetism and electricity had similar features. Both have positive and negative charges.
  • Changing electricity produces magnetism. Every time an electric current flows in a wire, it generates a magnetic field all around it.
  • According to Faraday’s Law of Induction, a magnetic field is produced by an electric charge in motion. This is then applied to electromagnets, electric motors, and generators.
  • The electricity we use is made by devices called generators. These use powerful magnets and coils of wire to produce electricity with the help of turbines, devices that capture kinetic energy from fluids that move past them – as applied in wind, water, or steam made from coal, oil, or nuclear power.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MAGNETS

  • Every electric appliance with an electric motor in it uses magnets to turn electricity into motion.
  • Magnets are in washing machines, hold doors shut, and work in generators and electric motors. Credit cards have magnetic strips on them that save financial information.
  • Magnetic audio and videotapes and even discs have many tiny magnetic particles which are used to store sounds, pictures, and other information.

Magnets and Magnetism Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about the magnets and magnetism across 29 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Magnets and Magnetism worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about magnetism which is one aspect of the combined electromagnetic force. It refers to physical phenomena arising from the force caused by magnets, objects that produce fields that attract or repel other objects.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Ancients & Magnets
  • They Attract
  • Fact Attract
  • Earth’s Magnetic Field
  • The Maglev Train
  • DIY Compass
  • Invisible Magnetic Force
  • The Electromagnet
  • Magnet Maze
  • Magnetic Words

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Link will appear as Magnets and Magnetism Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 20, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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