Effect of temperature on the strength of a magnet

Physics Project

BY Sanay Mathur Roll no 1232-A XII A

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the PHYSICS project has been successfully completed by Sanay Mathur of Class XII A in partial fulfillment of curriculum of CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION (CBSE) leading to the award of annual examination of the year 2013-2014.

INTERNAL EXAMINER

H.O.D PHYSICS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
First and foremost I thank my teacher physics Mr. Suresh Kumar for his remarkable, valuable guidance, supervision, help and encouragement throughout the project work. I would also like to thank my parents who helped me a lot in gathering information, collecting data and guiding me from time to time in making this project unique. I would like to acknowledge the assistance provided to me by the library staff of Army Public School, Bangalore.

Sanay Mathur

INDEX:
Aim Introduction Theory Apparatus Procedure Observations Result Precautions Conclusion Bibliography

AIM:
To determine how temperature affects the strength of a magnet.

INTRODUCTION:

M
magnet.

agnetic fields are produced by electric currents. Magnets are frequently used in daily life. For example, magnets are used in manufacturing, entertainment, security, and they play a crucial

role in the functioning of computers. Even the earth itself is a

A magnet is any object that produces a magnetic field . Some magnets, referred to as permanent, hold their magnetism without an external electric current. A magnet of this nature can be created by exposing a piece of metal containing iron to a number of situations (i.e. repeatedly jarring the metal, heating to high temperature). Soft magnets, on the other hand, are those that lose their magnetic charge properties over time. Additionally, paramagnetic objects are those that can become magnetic only when in the presence of an external magnetic field. A magnetic field is the space surrounding a magnet in which magnetic force is exerted. The motion of negatively charged

electrons in the magnet determines not only the polarity, but also the strength of the magnet (Cold magnet). Magnets are filled with magnetic lines of force . These lines originate at the north pole of the magnet and continue to the south pole. The north pole is positive. Magnetic lines of force do not intersect one another. Certain materials, called ferromagnetic materials, have unpaired electrons in their outermost atomic orbits that can become magnetically aligned over large distances (relative to the atomic scale). These regions of alignment are called magnetic domains.

An electric current flowing through a straight wire creates a magnetic field around the wire.
The illustration shows the magnetic field produced by electric current in a straight wire. When the thumb of the right hand is pointing in the direction of the current, the fingers of the right hand curl in the direction of the magnetic field.

In the 1800s, Pierre Curie discovered that there exists a temperature at which objects that were previously permanently magnetic lose this characteristic . The temperature at which this demagnetization occurs is called the Curie Point. As the temperature of the magnet approaches this point, the alignment of each domain decreases. As such, the magnetism decreases until the Curie point is reached, at which time the material becomes paramagnetic.

THEORY:
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets. A permanent magnet is an object made from a material that is magnetized and creates its own persistent magnetic field. An everyday example is a refrigerator magnet used to hold notes on a refrigerator door. Materials that can be magnetized, which are also the ones that are strongly attracted to a magnet, are called

ferromagnetic (or ferrimagnetic). These include iron, nickel, cobalt, some alloys of rare earth metals, and some naturally occurring minerals such as lodestone. Although ferromagnetic (and ferrimagnetic) materials are the only ones attracted to a magnet strongly enough to be commonly considered magnetic, all other substances respond weakly to a magnetic field, by one of several other types of magnetism. Permanent magnets are made from ferromagnetic materials. If a ferromagnetic material is exposed to a strong magnetic field, the magnetic domains within the material will retain at least some of the alignment induced by the external magnetic field. When the temperature of a material is increased, what is happening on the atomic scale is an increase in the random motion of the atoms of which the material is made. Each ferromagnetic material has a Curie temperature (named after Pierre Curie), above which it can no longer be magnetized. For soft iron, the Curie temperature is over 1,300C! A current flowing through a coil of wire (the coil is also called a solenoid) creates a stronger magnetic field than the same current flowing through a straight wire. The magnetic field is strongest at the center of the coil. Each loop in the coil contributes additional strength to the magnetic field. The more the loops, the stronger the field.

The illustration shows the magnetic field produced by an electric current in a coil (solenoid). When the fingers of the right hand curl in the direction of the current flow, the thumb points in the direction of the magnetic field (i.e. thumb points toward magnetic North pole of the solenoid).

APPARATUS:

5 permanent magnets

of equal size and strength.

A pair of tongs.

A thermometer.

Plastic bowl filled with 200 standard size paper clips.

PROCEDURE:
1) The independent variable is the temperature of the magnet - 0C, 25C, 50C, 75C and 100C. The dependent variable is the number of paper clips picked up by the magnet. This is determined by counting the

2) 3)

4)

5)

number of paper clips that stick to the magnet. The constants (control variables) are the size of the magnet and the weight of the paper clips. 5 magnets are kept in the freezer of the refrigerator overnight, in order for them to stabilize at 0C for use in the experiment. The next day, 200 paper clips are spread in a bowl. The 5 magnets are removed from the refrigerator and their temperatures are measured using a thermometer. Wearing gloves, place one of the magnets over the paper clips in the bowl to pick up as many paper clips as possible. The results are recorded in the table given below. The 5 magnets are placed on a hot plate until a temperature of 25C is reached. Repeat the 3rd step using the same 5 magnets and the number of paper clips picked up is record in the observation table. Repeat steps 3 and 4 by bringing the temperature of the magnets to 50C, 75C and 100C, by placing them on the hot plate. The results are recorded in the observation table.

OBSERVATIONS:
MAGNET No. of paper clips picked up by the magnets at different temp.

0C MAGNET 1 MAGNET 2 MAGNET 3 MAGNET 4 MAGNET 5 29 34 37 31 28

25C 25 29 32 27 23

50C 21 26 28 23 19

75C 13 16 18 15 12

100C 8 11 12 9 7

40

35

30

25

MAGNET 1 MAGNET 2 20 MAGNET 3 MAGNET 4 MAGNET 5 15

10

0 0C 25C 50C 75C 100C

RESULT:
Increasing the temperature reduces the strength of the magnet.

PRECAUTIONS:
Measure the temperature of the magnets accurately. No. of paper clips should be counted properly. Magnets should be of equal size. Paper clips should be of equal size. Wear gloves so that the body temperature does not affect the temperature of the magnets. Record your observations correctly.

CONCLUSION:
Magnetic materials should maintain a balance between temperature and magnetic domains (the atoms inclination to spin in a certain direction). When exposed to extreme temperatures, however, this balance is destabilized; magnetic properties are then affected. While cold strengthens magnets, heat can result in the loss of magnetic properties. In other words, too much heat can completely ruin a magnet. Excessive heat causes atoms to move more rapidly, disturbing the magnetic domains. As the atoms are sped up, the percentage of magnetic domains spinning in the same direction decreases. This lack of cohesion weakens the magnetic force and eventually demagnetizes it entirely. In contrast, when a magnet is exposed to extreme cold, the atoms slow down so the magnetic domains are aligned and, in turn, strengthened. Ferromagnetism The way in which specific materials form permanent magnets or interact strongly with magnets. Most everyday magnets are a product of ferromagnetism. Paramagnetism

A type of magnetism that occurs only in the presence of an external magnetic field. They are attracted to magnetic fields, but they are not magnetized when the external field is removed. That's because the atoms spin in random directions; the spins arent aligned, and the total magnetization is zero. Aluminum and oxygen are two examples of materials that are paramagnetic at room temperature. Curie Temperature Named for the French physicist Pierre Curie, the Curie Temperature is the temperature at

which no magnetic domain can exist because the atoms are too frantic to maintain aligned spins. At this temperature, the ferromagnetic material becomes paramagnetic. Even if you cool the magnet, once it has become demagnetized, it will not become magnetized again. Different magnetic materials have different Curie Temperatures, but the average is about 600 to 800 degrees Celsius.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
www.icbse.com www.sciencebuddies.com www.wikipedia.com NCERT Physics textbook www.howmagnetswork.co m