We are familiar with magnets that attract ferromagnetic materials like iron; This is a fundamental property of magnetism. This may raise the question in your mind that is magnetism a physical property?
Magnetism is a physical property caused by the effort of a force to attract or repel other materials. Magnetism is related to the physical interaction of materials. So in this post, let us discuss how magnetism is a physical property and how magnetism is a physical property in detail.
Before answering the above question, is magnetism a physical property? Let us learn about the origin of magnetism. Materials are made up of many different small particles called atoms. Each atom of the material contains electrons that partially carry electrical charges. The movement of these electric charges is responsible for the substance having magnetism.
Why is magnetism a physical property?
The exciting properties of magnets are attraction and repulsion. Every magnet has two poles, the south and north poles. When two opposite poles of a magnet come closer, they are meanwhile attracted to each other, and if two similar poles of a magnet come closer, they repel each other.
Opposite poles attract and like poles repel, no difference in composition. Two magnets are able to maintain their magnetism even if they are repelled by the same pole or if they can be attracted by the same pole. And the magnetic property of the material does not cause any chemical reaction. Thus magnetism is purely a physical property of the material.
Not every object has magnetism. A material must be attracted by a magnetic field to have magnetism. Ferromagnetic materials are mainly affected by magnetic fields. In the process of magnetization, the movement of the orbital electron acquires kinetic energy; Thus, the electron is affected by the magnetic field to acquire magnetic properties.
How is magnetism a physical property?
Every material has some physical property that describes the nature of that material which is different from other materials. Magnetism is a unique property caused by electron motion.
The electric current and magnetic moment of a particle in an atom gives the magnetic field. Metals that are highly affected by magnetic fields can undergo magnetization to become permanent magnets. These magnets attract iron material towards themselves. Attracting an object does not change the structure of the object, and there is no chemical reaction involved. Thus, magnetism describes the special nature of matter.
The magnetic property of the material is mainly due to the alignment of the atoms and their electronic configuration. The electronic configuration of iron does not change when it is attracted by a magnet; This gives evidence of magnetism as a physical property.
When iron is placed near a magnet that radiates magnetic field lines, the orbital electrons of the iron piece cause the iron to gain kinetic energy due to the motion of the iron towards the magnet. In general, we say that a magnet attracts iron.
Interesting points to know about magnetism
- Every magnet has two poles; North Pole and South Pole. It is impossible to obtain a magnetic monopole. Even if you break a magnet in two pieces, you will end up with two poles again.
- The electron in an atom has both a spin up and a spin down state, which is responsible for the magnetic property. They exert a force on the charged particle in the atom to make it spin. All atoms should have the same orientation.
- The strength of the magnets can be varied by varying the distance. If the distance between the magnet and the iron piece is greater then the iron piece is less attracted to the magnet.
- Magnetism is highly influenced by physical factors such as temperature and pressure. By increasing the temperature, the thermal motion of the electron causes a change in the alignment of the material and vice versa for pressure.
- We can also achieve temporary magnetism by applying an electric current or placing a soft metal near a magnetic field. A temporary magnet created by passing an electric current is often referred to as an electromagnet.
frequently Asked question
Is temporary magnetism a physical property?
Any property that does not affect the chemical behavior and describes the physical nature of the material is considered a physical property.
Temporary magnetism is achieved either by passing an electric current or by keeping it in a permanent magnetic field for a long period of time, causing the soft metal to acquire temporary magnetism. The orbital electron spins, bypassing the electric current; It changes the only physical property of the atom, not a chemical property such as pH structure. Thus temporary magnetism is also a physical property.
Is change in magnetism a physical property?
Magnetism can also be changed. The change in magnetization refers to the variation in the amount of attraction and repulsion of the metal.
Changing the distance changes the magnetism. The magnetism is greater when the magnet and the metal are closer. Changing distance is a change in physical unit. It has nothing to do with chemical behavior; Thus, change in magnetism is also a physical property.
Is magnetism an intensive property or a comprehensive property?
Magnetism is a profound property.
When a piece of iron is attracted by a magnet, the magnetism is not centered on the size and shape of the iron or magnet. And also, magnetism is not a matter of what amount of metal is attracted to the magnet. Even if you hold a small pin near the magnet, it will attract the pin regardless of size, shape and quantity.
On what factor does the change in magnetization depend?
Magnetism mainly depends on two factors, they are:
- temperature – an increase in temperature leads to the thermal movement of a charged particle; Therefore the regular alignment of the nuclear system of magnetic materials is disturbed.
- Applied Magnetic Field Strength – The stronger the magnetic field strength, the greater the magnetization.
What are the factors affecting the field strength of a magnet?
There are many factors that can affect the strength of a magnetic field as they are applied to a magnet; they are
- Heat – For some magnetic materials, heat causes their magnetism to decrease.
- The strength of the magnetic field is greatly affected by radiation damage if a high energy beam strikes them.
- Close contact with other magnets greatly affects the field strength of magnets.
- Supplying strong electric current in close proximity can damage the field strength.
- Moisture can also cause corrosion in the magnet, which affects the strength of the field.
What is the importance of material possessions?
Physical properties always characterize the physical behavior and nature of matter. It also describes the defined state of matter.
Most importantly, it is important to understand the physical property of how to handle and store the material. In some cases, physical properties are helpful in knowing the occurrence of a chemical reaction. So physical properties also act as indicators of chemical reaction.
