MAGNETISM STUDY NOTES
I. Magnets
• Poles: Every magnet has two poles:
o North Pole
o South Pole
o A magnet aligns itself with Earth’s magnetic field.
• Magnet Applications:
o Electromagnets lift heavy metal
o Used in meters, motors, speakers, tapes, and disks
o Essential in nuclear fusion research
• Forces Between Poles:
o Like poles repel (N-N or S-S)
o Opposite poles attract (N-S)
• Poles Always in Pairs:
o You can't isolate one pole. If a magnet breaks, both halves will still have N
and S poles.
• Comparison to Electric Charges:
o Electric charges can exist alone (e.g., just a + or -)
o Magnetic poles cannot be isolated
• Permanent Magnets:
o Made by exposing materials to strong magnetic fields or stroking with a
magnet
o Can lose magnetism when heated or hit
• Materials:
o Soft magnetic materials: easy to magnetize, easy to demagnetize
o Hard magnetic materials: hard to magnetize, retain magnetism longer
o Diamagnetic materials: repelled by magnetic fields
II. Magnetic Fields
• Definition: Region where magnetic forces are felt
• Direction: Where a compass's north pole points
• Strength:
o Stronger near poles
o Measured in Teslas (T)
• Magnetic Field Lines:
o Show the shape of the field
o Flow from north to south
o More lines = stronger field
• Magnetic Fields Are Caused By:
o Moving electric charges
o Electrons spinning in the same direction → strong magnetic field
III. Magnetic Domains
• Domains = Groups of atoms with aligned magnetic fields
• If domains align → material becomes magnetic
• Ferromagnetic materials (like iron/Fe) have alignable domains
• To Magnetize: place in strong magnetic field (aligns domains)
• To Demagnetize: drop or heat it (misaligns domains)
IV. Field Direction Symbols
• → = In the plane of the page
• X = Into the page
• • = Out of the page
V. Earth’s Magnetic Field
• Earth acts like a giant bar magnet
• Caused by convection currents in the liquid iron core
• Earth's rotation helps generate this field
• Magnetic North ≠ Geographic North:
o Geographic North = Magnetic South
o Geographic South = Magnetic North
• Magnetic Declination:
o The angle between where a compass points (magnetic north) and true north
• Pole Locations:
o Magnetic North: near Hudson Bay, Canada
o Magnetic South: south of Australia
Let me know if you'd like a summary sheet, quiz questions, or diagrams to go with this!
Here are 20 quiz questions (with answers at the end) to help you review the material on
Magnetism:
MAGNETISM QUIZ
Section 1: Multiple Choice (1 mark each)
1. What happens when two like magnetic poles are brought close together?
A) They attract
B) They cancel each other
C) They repel
D) Nothing happens
2. Which of the following cannot exist alone?
A) Positive electric charge
B) Negative electric charge
C) North magnetic pole
D) Electron
3. Magnetic field lines:
A) Go from south to north
B) Go from north to south
C) Form triangles
D) Go in random directions
4. Which of the following is ferromagnetic?
A) Aluminum
B) Plastic
C) Iron (Fe)
D) Copper
5. Which unit is used to measure magnetic field strength?
A) Ampere
B) Newton
C) Tesla
D) Ohm
6. A bar magnet is broken in half. What happens to the magnetic poles?
A) They disappear
B) You get isolated poles
C) Each piece becomes a new magnet
D) Only one piece remains magnetic
7. Which of the following materials is repelled by a magnetic field?
A) Ferromagnetic
B) Paramagnetic
C) Diamagnetic
D) Supermagnetic
8. Magnetic fields are created by:
A) Stationary charges
B) Heat
C) Moving charges
D) Gravity
9. Which direction does a compass needle point?
A) Magnetic South
B) Geographic South
C) Geographic North
D) Magnetic North
10. The difference between magnetic north and geographic north is called:
A) Magnetic deviation
B) Magnetic offset
C) Magnetic declination
D) Magnetic drift
Section 2: True or False (1 mark each)
11. Magnetic poles can exist independently.
12. All magnets have both a north and a south pole.
13. A spinning electron creates a magnetic field.
14. Earth’s magnetic south pole is near the geographic north.
15. Magnetic fields are weakest near a magnet’s poles.
16. Magnetic domains are random in a permanent magnet.
17. Dropping a magnet can weaken its magnetism.
18. Magnetic field lines go out of the south pole and into the north pole.
19. Electromagnets can be turned on and off.
20. Magnetic fields only exist around natural magnets.
ANSWER KEY
Multiple Choice:
1. C
2. C
3. B
4. C
5. C
6. C
7. C
8. C
9. D
10. C
True/False:
11. False
12. True
13. True
14. True
15. False
16. False
17. True
18. False
19. True
20. False
Would you like me to turn this into a printable quiz or make an interactive version for
practice?