What are magnets?

Magnets were first found in Greece. The Greeks found it at around 1600BC and they used to describe it as the stone which attracted iron. Its name came from a shepherd called Magnes. He is the one who discovered it. A magnet is a certain object which contains some sort of materials that form a magnetic field. A magnet has a north pole and a south pole. The lines of the magnetic field move from the North Pole to the South Pole. We call this the magnetic dipole. If you break a magnet into two, each of the pieces will gain its own north pole and its own south pole. If you break the pieces again, the same thing will happen. Each piece of magnet has to have its own North Pole and South Pole. There is no proof to show that a magnet can have only one pole. You cannot find a monopole magnet.

Shapes of the magnets:

The material, shape and applications of magnets vary. In shape, some magnets are rectangular shaped, others are squared, some are shapeless as they have been broken from another piece and there are even others that are shaped like a horse shoe. In material, you have probably seen or heard that magnetism can be transferred from a magnet to a material that can be attracted by a magnet. This can be done either by placing the metallic object on the magnet for a very long time so that it can eventually gain magnetism or by hitting the magnet and the metallic object together for some time then the metallic object will gain magnetism. Note that whatever metal you use, it should be a good conductor of magnetism.

Another method of creating a magnet is by using an electric current. If you coil a wire around a big nail and an electric current passes through that wire, the nail will become a magnet for as long as the electric current is running through it. This is a temporary type of magnet. Magnets can therefore be of a variety of materials.

Uses of magnets:

When it comes to applications of magnets, magnets have very many uses in the society. In many manufacturing companies, magnets have uses such as; lifting metallic material, separating metallic material from non metallic material, and also in the movement of the machines. In the house, magnets are in the doorbell, fridge decorations, electronics such as the microwave, television and speakers, and in some doors. In schools and offices, there are planning boards which are magnetic these boards are for displaying charts and schedules.

The compasses used by travelers are also made of magnets. A magnet always points to the north. The compass was made using the magnet because of that. In hospitals, the magnet is used in machines such as the used for removing bullets from the body of a person who has been shot. As we have seen, magnets are all around. They are used in making most of the machines that are of great use.

 

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Category: Education