Magnetism - Key terms



ELECTROMAGNET:

A type of magnet in which an object is charged by an electrical current. Typically the object used is made of iron, which quickly loses magnetic force when current is reduced. Thus an electromagnet can be turned on or off, and its magnetic force altered, making it potentially much more powerful than a natural magnet.

ELECTROMAGNETISM:

The unified electrical and magnetic force field generated by the passage of an electric current through matter.

ELECTRONS:

Negatively charged subatomic particles whose motion relative to one another creates magnetic force.

MAGNETIC FIELD:

Wherever a magnetic force acts on a moving charged particle, a magnetic field is said to exist. Magnetic fields are typically measured by a unitcalled a tesla.

NATURAL MAGNET:

A chemical element in which the magnetic fields created by electrons' relative motion align uniformly to create a net magnetic dipole, or unity of direction. Such elements, among them iron, cobalt, and nickel, are also known as magnetic metals.

PERMANENT MAGNET:

A magnetic material in which groups of atoms, known as domains, are brought into alignment, and in which magnetization cannot be changed merely by attempting to realign the domains. Permanent magnetization is reversible only at very high temperatures—for example, 1,418°F (770°C) in the case of iron.

Also read article about Magnetism from Wikipedia

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