magnetic fields Flashcards
what is a magnetic field?
the region around a magnet where a force acts on another magnet or on a magnetic material
magnetic materials
cobakt, iron, nickel, steel
what type of force is the one between a magnet and magnetic material?
attraction
what does the strength of magnetic field depend on?
the distance from the magnet, stronger closer to it, strongest at the poles
what is the direction of the magnetic field at any point is given by?
the direction of the force that would act on another north pole placed at that point
what is the direction of a magnetic field line from?
from the north (seeking) pole of a magnet to the south (seeking) pole of the magnet
what does a magnetic compass contain?
a small bar magnet
what does the earth have?
a magnetic field
what does the compass needle point in the direction of when not near a magnet?
the earth’s magnetic field, so north
describe a compass
- has a tiny bar magnet inside
- north pole of this magnet is attracted to the south pole of any other magnet it is near
- so compass needle points in direction of magnetic field it is in
explain how the behaviour of a magnetic compass is related
to evidence that the core of the Earth must be magnetic
when the compasses aren’t near a magnet, compass needles always point north as the earth generates its own magnetic field, showing that the core of the earth must be magnetic
describe how to plot the magnetic field pattern of a magnet using a compass
move a compass around a magnet and trace the needle’s position on some paper to build up a picture of what the magnetic field looks like
