Magnetism
Magnetism is a class of physical phenomena that are mediated by magnetic fields.
Description
Electric currents and the magnetic moments of elementary particles give rise to a magnetic field, which acts on other currents and magnetic moments.
Every material is influenced to some extent by a magnetic field.
The most familiar effect is on permanent magnets, which have persistent magnetic moments caused by ferromagnetism.
The prefix ferro- refers to iron, because permanent magnetism was first observed in a form of natural iron ore called magnetite, Fe3O4.
Most materials do not have permanent moments. Some are attracted to a magnetic field (paramagnetism); others are repulsed by a magnetic field (diamagnetism); others have a more complex relationship with an applied magnetic field (spin glass behavior and antiferromagnetism).
Substances that are negligibly affected by magnetic fields are known as non-magnetic substances. These include copper, aluminium, gases, and plastic. Pure oxygen exhibits magnetic properties when cooled to a liquid state.
The magnetic state (or magnetic phase) of a material depends on temperature and other variables such as pressure and the applied magnetic field. A material may exhibit more than one form of magnetism as these variables change.
See also
- Coercivity
- Gravitomagnetism
- Magnetic hysteresis
- Magnetar
- Magnetic bearing
- Magnetic circuit
- Magnetic cooling
- Magnetic field viewing film
- Magnetic stirrer
- Magnetic structure
- Magnetism and temperature
- Micromagnetism
- Neodymium magnet
- Physics
- Plastic magnet
- Rare-earth magnet
- Spin wave
- Spontaneous magnetization
- Vibrating sample magnetometer
External links
- Magnetism @ Wikipedia
