ELECTRICITY &

MAGNETISM
MAGNETIC MATERIALS
 Most materials are not magnetic, but some are.
A magnetic material can be magnetised or will
be attracted to a magnet. These metals are
magnetic:
 iron
 cobalt
 Nickel

 Steel is mostly iron, so steel is magnetic too.

INDUCED AND PERMANENT
MAGNETISM
 A bar magnet is a permanent magnet. This means
that its magnetism is there all the time, it
produces its own magnetic field and cannot be
turned on or off. A bar magnet has two magnetic
poles:
 north pole (or north-seeking pole)
 south pole (or south-seeking pole)

 Unlike a permanent magnet, an induced

magnet only becomes a magnet when it is placed
in a magnetic field. The induced magnetism is
quickly lost when the magnet is removed from the
magnetic field.
TESTING FOR MAGNETISM
 A permanent magnet can:
 attract or repel another permanent magnet
 attract a magnetic material (but not repel it)

 This means that you can only show that an

object is a permanent magnet by checking if it
repels another magnet.
MAGNETIC FIELDS
 A magnetic field is the region around a magnet
where a force acts on another magnet or on a
magnetic material.

 Detecting magnetic fields

 A magnetic field is invisible, but it can be detected
using a magnetic compass. A compass contains a small
bar magnet on a pivot so that it can rotate. The compass
needle points in the direction of the Earth’s magnetic
field, or the magnetic field of a magnet.
MAGNETIC FIELD LINES
 Magnetic fields can be mapped out using
small plotting compasses:
1. Place the plotting compass near the magnet on a piece
of paper.
2. Mark the direction the compass needle points.
3. Move the plotting compass to many different positions
in the magnetic field, marking the needle direction
each time.
4. Join the points to show the field lines.

 The needle of a plotting compass points to the

south pole of the magnet.
 The behaviour of a compass shows that the Earth
has a magnetic field. The Earth’s core, which is
made from iron and nickel, produces this
magnetic field.
DRAWING A MAGNETIC FIELD
 The diagram shows these key features:
 the magnetic field lines never cross each other
 the closer the lines, the stronger the magnetic field
 the lines have arrowheads to show the direction of the
force exerted on a magnetic north pole
 the arrowheads point from the north pole of the magnet
to its south pole
 The magnetic field pattern when two magnets
are used is shown in this diagram.
 The magnet in diagram B is stronger than the
magnet in diagram A. More lines means a
stronger attractive force.
UNIFORM MAGNETIC FIELD
 When magnetic field lines are the same distance
apart from each other, we say that the magnetic
field is uniform.
 This is shown in the diagram below.
THE EARTH’S MAGNETISM
 The Earth behaves as if it contains a giant
magnet. It produces a magnetic field in which
the field lines are most concentrated at the
poles. This magnetic field can be detected using
magnetic materials or magnets.
THE COMPASS
 A compass comprises:
a magnetic needle mounted on a pivot (so it can
turn freely)
 a dial to show the direction
 The north pole (north-seeking pole) of the
compass needle points towards the Earth’s north
pole.
ELECTROMAGNETS
 When an electric
current flows in a
wire, it creates a
magnetic field around
the wire. This effect
can be used to make
an electromagnet. A
simple electromagnet
comprises a length of
wire turned into a coil
and connected to a
battery or power
supply.
ELECTROMAGNETS
 You can make an electromagnet stronger by
doing these things:
 wrapping the coil around a piece of iron (such as
an iron nail)
 adding more turns to the coil
 increasing the current flowing through the coil

 Electromagnets have some advantages over

permanent magnets. For example:
 they can be turned on and off
 the strength of the magnetic field can be varied
THE MAGNETIC FIELD AROUND A
CURRENT-CARRYING WIRE
 When a current flows in a wire, it creates a
circular magnetic fieldaround the wire. This
magnetic field can deflect the needle of a
magnetic compass. The strength of the magnetic
field is greater closer to the wire, and increases if
the current increases.
 The direction of the current and magnetic field
can be found using the right hand grip rule. Coil
the fingers of the right hand as if holding the
handlebars of a bicycle, with the thumb pointing
away from the hand. The thumb indicates the
direction of the current, and the fingers then
indicate the direction of the magnetic field.
THE MAGNETIC FIELD OF AN
ELECTROMAGNET
 Magnetic field be reversed by reversing the
current (turning the battery around).
 Straight wire:
 Flat circular coil:
SOLENOIDS
 A solenoid is a long thin spiral of wire used to
produce a magnetic field. The field inside a
solenoid is strong and uniform.
 The small magnetic fields caused by the current
in each coil add together to make a stronger
overall magnetic field. Outside the solenoid, the
small magnetic fields from each wire cancel each
other out and the outside field is much weaker.
APPLICATION
 Electromagnets are used in devices such as door
locks that can be controlled remotely and
electric bells.
 These properties of electromagnets able to on
and off make it useful for picking up scrap iron
and steel in scrapyards.
 The electric motor - A simple electric motor can
be built using a coil of wire that is free to rotate
between two opposite magnetic poles. When an
electric current flows through the coil, the coil
experiences a force and moves.
 Speakers
THE ELECTRIC MOTOR
 The direction of the current must be reversed
every half turn, otherwise the coil comes to a halt
again. This is achieved using a conducting ring
split in two, called a split ring or commutator. A
coil of wire is used with lots of turns to increase
the effect of the magnetic field.
 as a coil is rotated in a magnetic field, the
induced current reverses direction every half
turn. This is called alternating current (a.c.).
 It is different from the direct current (d.c.)
produced by a battery, which is always in the
same direction.
SPEAKERS
 Speakers contain both a permanent magnet and
an electromagnet. The positive pole of the
electromagnet is attracted to the negative pole
of the magnet. This pulls the speaker coil
towards the magnet. When the direction of the
current in the electromagnet is reversed, the
negative pole of the electromagnet now repels
the negative pole of the magnet moving the coil
away from the magnet. The coil is connected to
the speaker cone, which moves with it creating
vibrations in the air in front of the speaker. This
is the sound we hear.
ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION
 A magnet and a coil of wire can be used to
produce an electric current. A voltage is
produced when a magnet moves into a coil of
wire. This process is called electromagnetic
induction. The direction of the induced voltage is
reversed when the magnet is moved out of the
coil again. It can also be reversed if the other
pole of the magnet is moved into the coil.
 If the coil is part of a complete circuit, then a
current will be induced in the circuit.
 Notice that no voltage is induced when the
magnet is not moving, even if it is inside the coil.
 To increase the induced voltage:
 move the magnet faster
 add more turns to the coil
 increase the strength of the magnet
1. A bar magnet rests outside
a wire coil connected to an
ammeter showing no current

2. The magnet moves into the

coil of wire and the ammeter
registers positive current flow

3. The magnet is stationary

within the coil of wire,
there is no current flow
TRANSFORMERS
 Transformers are used to increase or decrease
the voltage of alternating currents. A
transformer consists of two coils of wire wound
on a metal core.
 An alternating voltage is applied to one coil (the
primary coil). This causes a changing
(alternating) magnetic field to be set up in the
core. The other coil (the secondary coil) is in this
changing magnetic field and so it has an
alternating voltage induced in it.

 The size of the secondary voltage depends on the

number of turns on both the primary and the
secondary coils, and on the size of the a.c.
voltage applied across the primary coil.
 The relationship linking the number of turns on
each coil to the voltages is,

 where:
 V1 is the voltage applied to the primary coil in volts
 V2 is the voltage induced in the secondary coil in volts
 N1 is the number of turns on the primary coil
 N2 is the number of turns on the secondary coil
WORKED EXAMPLE
 Calculate the voltage obtained from the
secondary coil of a mains (230 V) transformer,
which has 11,500 turns on its primary and 600
turns on its secondary.
 Step-up transformers have more turns on the
secondary coil than they do on the primary coil.

 Step-down transformers have fewer turns on

the secondary coil than they do on the primary
coil.