AP Physics C — Magnets and the Magnetic Field

Magnets

Magnets have two poles, a north and a south pole. When you break a magnet, that part will then gain its own north and south poles. While a magnetic monopole in theoretically possible, there is no experimental or observational evidence of it existing.

Magnetism is caused by the parallel alignment of electron spins in Ferromagnetic materials. Each electron spin causes small magnetic domains, which, after being pointed in the same direction, magnetizes the material. A material that is magnetized can align the electron spins in an unmagnetized ferromagnetic material, leading that material to be magnetized.

The Earth behaves as a large bar magnet, but the geographic North pole is the magnetic South pole.

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A Magnetic Field is the Force Field (like The Gravitational Field and The Electric Field ) given by a magnetic object.

The Magnetic Field points from the north pole to the south pole outside of a magnet, and south to north inside the magnet.

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The variable for the magnetic field is . The units are Teslas , which also equal:

or Gausses which in terms of Teslas are:

Any moving charge creates a magnetic field. Metals that have molecule dipoles aligned, are magnetic.

Charges moving through a wire induces a cylindrical magnetic field around the wire.