The basics of Magnets and Electricity Magnets in Motion The basics of Magnets and Electricity

What Are Magnets? Magnets are objects that stick to other objects They contain iron, cobalt, or nickel Iron, cobalt, and nickel are elements that make up the world. Magnet by definition: a piece of iron (or an ore, alloy, or other material) that has its component atoms so ordered that the material exhibits properties of magnetism, such as attracting other iron-containing objects or aligning itself in an external magnetic field. There are two types of magnets: Permanent and Temporary. Permanent: hard to magnetize, stay magnetized longer than temporary magnets, and contains colbalt, nickel, and/or aluminum Temporary: easy to magnetize, lose their magnetism quickly, and contains soft iron

How Do Magnets Work? Magnets match with Earth’s magnetic field. Earth is a gigantic magnet because it is made mostly of liquid iron The earth is said to be like a magnet because its core is made of solid metal. Its core is also surrounded by a molten outer core that is made of iron and nickel. The liquid metal is made to flow very quickly by convection and creates electrical currents that produce the Earth's magnetic field.

Where are magnets in our lives? refrigerator magnets doorbell can opener compass and much more!

Types of Magnets Natural Magnets Temporary Magnets Permanent Magnets Permanent magnets are those we are most familiar with, such as the magnets hanging onto our refrigerator doors. They are permanent in the sense that once they are magnetized, they retain a level of magnetism. As we will see, different types of permanent magnets have different characteristics or properties concerning how easily they can be demagnetized, how strong they can be, how their strength varies with temperature, and so on.Temporary magnets are those which act like a permanent magnet when they are within a strong magnetic field, but lose their magnetism when the magnetic field disappears. Examples would be paperclips and nails and other soft iron items. Natural magnets are basically rocks which contain high amounts of iron. Temporary magnets lose their magnetic strength quickly and permanent magnets retain their strength for long periods of time.

North and South Poles Every magnet has two poles: a North and a South pole North Pole = North South Pole = South North Pole and South Pole: The magnetic poles of the Earth gradually move over time because of the flow of the Earth’s core, which contains a lot of iron. The North Pole points north towards Canada and the South Pole points south towards Antartica.

Magnetism Magnetism is the attraction between opposite poles: North-South North-North and South-South will repel each other. Magnetism by definition is the physical phenomenon produced by the motion of electric charge, resulting in attractive and repulsive forces between objects. Repel means to push away.

What are Magnetic Fields? A place where magnetic forces can react to one another. It has a size and a direction to show where it is. The closer you get to the pole, the BIGGER the magnetic field will be. Magnetic fields can be combined to be stronger or weaker depending on how they are put together. Magnetic fields by definition are regions around a magnetic material or a moving electric charge within which the force of magnetism acts (attraction and repulsion). Earth’s magnetic field is called magnetosphere Magnetic fields have field lines where the magnetic force is strong, and can spread out when where it’s weak. In a magnet, field lines spread out from one pole and moves toward the other (attraction). The magnetic force is strongest near the poles where they collide. This also has to do with the atoms and their magnetic fields due to their charged particles. However, most atoms’ magnetic fields point randomly, so they just cancel each other out.

Electricity Electricity: energy that charges electrons and protons. Electrons: negative charge Protons: positive charge Neutrons: no charge Electricity figures everywhere in our lives. Electricity lights up our homes, cooks our food, powers our computers, television sets, and other electronic devices. Electricity from batteries keeps our cars running and makes our flashlights shine in the dark. All matter is made up of atoms(the smallest particle of any element), and atoms are made up of smaller particles. The three main particles making up an atom are the proton, the neutron and the electron. Electrons spin around the center, or nucleus, of atoms, in the same way the moon spins around the earth. The nucleus is made up of neutrons and protons.

Static Electricity Magnetic energy + Electricity Electric currents also create magnetic fields. Static electricity is the relationship between magnets and electricity. Electric currents create magnetic fields. The direction of the electrical current is the same as the direction of the magnetic field.

Electromagnetics Made of an iron core wrapped with a current-carrying wire. Tighter and closer coils are = stronger the magnet will be. Electromagnets can also be turned on and off.

Circuits Circuit: the path of an electric current. There are two types: open and closed. Current: the flow of electricity. An open circuit will NOT allow electricity to flow while a closed circuit will allow electricity to flow.

Friction Friction is created by objects sliding in opposite directions. You can find friction everywhere! Friction is created by objects sliding in opposite directions.

Have fun with magnets!!