Temporary and permanent

There are two kinds of magnets temporary and permanent magnets. Temporary magnets will loose all or most of their magnetic properties. But a permanent magnet will retain or keep their magnetic properties for a very long time.

Temporary magnets are made of such materials as iron and nickle. The materials are known as soft magnetic materials because they usually do not retain their magnetism outside a strong magnetic field.

There are two essential ingredients for generating a magnetic field. Those two ingredients are , Magnetic Material or currents.You can create a temporary or permanent magnet by what kinds of metals you use. By stroking a permanent magnet onto a pure metal in one direction many times, soon it will become temporarily magnetized. what causes this is the Magnetic Domain by witch tapping the magnet and metal you nudge any stubborn domains into alignment. Currents can be used to make a magnet by getting a bar of iron and wrapping it with wires then run a current through the wires.

Permanent magnets are made by placing pieces of iron cobalt, and nickle into strong magnetic fields. Permanent magnets are mixtures of iron, nickle, or cobalt with other elements. These are known as hard magnetic materials.

There are many different metals but only three pure metals can be magnetized. These are iron, nickle and cobalt. If you mix pure metals together their magnetic charactistics can be alterd. The natural form of a magnet is called a lodestone, it contains iron. When man mixed the pure metals together ( ie. iron, nickle and cobalt ) we created an even stronger magnet which are the ones we use most today.

They're Everywhere!

Magnets are everywhere. If you have ever used a computer, microwave oven, copy machine or stereo speakers, you have used magnets!

Magnets can also be used to make electricity.

Think about it!

What is the biggest magnet around? Use the hints below to figure it out and then highlight the box to see if you were correct.

It is bigger than a bread box. It is bigger than a whale.

It is bigger than a mountain.

It is bigger than North America.

You live on it!

What is the biggest magnet?

THE EARTH!

The Earth is a huge magnet.

Define it!

What is a magnet, anyway?

A magnet is something that has magnetic force.

The next question is "What is a magnetic force?" A magnetic force attracts iron and steel.

Magnets are materials that attract iron and steel.

There are many different types of magnets. Natural magnets occur naturally in nature. The mineral magnetite is a natural magnet. It can attract iron.

Make a magnet!

A temporary magnet is a magnet that has magnetic force for a short time. You can make a temporary magnet.

Materials:

Large nail with a small head (Reminder: Nails are sharp - be careful!)

Bar magnet

Straight pins

Procedure:

1. Rub the nail with one end of a bar magnet, and make sure to rub the nail in the same direction each time.

2. Using the other end of the magnet, stroke the opposite end of the nail several times.

3. Slowly move the nail near some lightweight metal objects such as straight pins.

4. Record what happens. Why do you think that some metal objects will not be attracted to magnets?

You can magnetize a piece of steel needle by rubbing a magnet in one direction along the needle. This creates a magnetic force in the needle so it acts like a magnet. Soon, however, the needle will loose its magnetic force. You can do the same thing with a paper clip. It also will lose its magnetic force quickly. Try it!!

 

It's permanent

Permanent magnets keep their magnetic force. The magnets that you used to magnetize the needle or paper clip, the magnet used to stick reminders to your refrigerator, and the magnets that engineers use in dams to make electricity are examples of permanent magnets.

Anyone can make a temporary magnet out of an iron nail, a length of conductive wire and a battery. This is known as an electromagnet, because it depends on the continuous flow of an electric current to generate a magnetic field. Disconnect the battery and only a small magnetic field will remain.

Manufacturers make permanent magnets by exposing certain special materials to a strong magnetic field. The field pulls on the molecules, causing their charges to align and produce a magnetic field of their own. Electromagnets, on the other hand, are built and not just magnetized. By wrapping a coil of wire around an iron nail or another ferromagnetic material, you can build a temporary magnet. It will turn on when electric current is run through the coil, and off again when the current stops.