Magnetism Vocabulary
Listed below are key terms dealing with magnetism. Learn these terms to better understand how magnets operate in our everyday lives.
Attract: To pull together - When opposite poles are put near each other, attraction occurs.
Conductors: A substance, like copper, that easily carries and electric current. When electricity runes through a conductor, a magnetic field is created.
Diamagnetic: Diamagnetic materials work very differently from ferromagnetic and paramagnetic metals, as they respond to magnets in an opposite way. Common diamagnetic materials include gold, silver, and lead.
Electricity: The flow of charged particles from atoms.
Electromagnet: A material with a strong temporary magnetic field created when electricity flows through the coiled wire.
Electromagnetism: The combined effects of electricity and magnetism.
Ferromagnetic: A term used to describe materials that are strongly attracted by magnetic force; A term used to describe objects with magnetic qualities often due to their iron content. Common ferromagnetic metals include iron, nickel, and steel.
Magnet: An object that attracts iron and other magnetized objects; Something that can attract iron and has an invisible magnetic field around it.
Magnetic Domain: A group of atoms in a material that behaves like a small magnet. In a substance that is not magnetized, domains are pointed in random ways. In magnets, all domains are lined up in the same direction.
Magnetic Field: The area around a magnet over which its magnetic force is exerted.
Magnetism: A natural force of attraction or repulsion of magnetic materials, caused by the lining up of their atoms.
Paramagnetic: Materials that are weakly attracted to a magnetic force. This attractive force is approximately a million times weaker than the force attracting ferromagnetic metals. Common paramagnetic metals include copper and aluminum.
Permanent Magnet: A substance with magnetic domains that are always lined up and therefore always has magnetic properties; Permanent magnets always have a magnetic field surrounding them.
Poles: The opposite ends of a magnet; The poles are the strongest areas of the magnet.
Repel: To push away - When two similar magnetic poles are near each other, they repel one another.
Temporary Magnets: A substance with magnetic domains that line up and become magnetized for a short period of time after being held in a magnetic field.