The Nature of Magnetism
the attraction of a magnet for another object
What is magnetism?
The light given off when charged particles get close to Earth’s surface and interact with atoms in the atmosphere.
What is aurora?
the flow of charge through a material
What is electric current?
the opposition to the movement of charges flowing through a material
What is resistance?
A temporary magnet that works only when electricity runs through it.
What is an electromagnet?
the area of a magnet where the magnetic effect is strongest
What is a magnetic pole?
A place on a magnet where its pulling force is the strongest.
What is a magnetic pole?
An electric current produces this around it.
What is a magnetic field?
Name two examples of conductors.
What are copper, nickel, steel, silver, gold
a coil of wire that creates a magnetic field
What is a solenoid?
Like poles _______________ each other.
Opposite poles ______________ each other.
(attract or repel)
What are repel and attract?
the region of Earth’s magnetic field shaped by the solar wind
What is the magnetosphere?
materials that allow electric current to flow through easily
What are conductors?
a material that has no electrical resistance
What is a superconductor?
This is the difference between a permanent magnet and an electromagnet.
An electromagnet uses electricity and can be turned off.
When the magnetic fields of the spinning electrons of atoms are aligned with one another, they create these.
What are magnetic domains?
the angle between Earth's magnetic pole and the geographic pole
What is magnetic declination?
materials that do not carry electric current easily
What are insulators?
Name two examples of insulators.
What are rubber, glass, oil, diamond, dry wood.
Name three ways to increase the strength of an electromagnetic field.
Increase the current in the solenoid by adding more loops of wire
Wind the coils of the solenoid closer together
Use a stronger ferromagnetic material for the core
Name the two ways magnets can become unmagnetized.
What are 1) strike it hard or 2) heat it.
two doughnut-shaped regions between 1,000 and 25,000 kilometers above Earth’s surface that contain electrons and protons traveling at very high speeds
What are the Van Allen Belts?
the loop (path) along which an electric current travels
What is an electrical circuit?
List three requirements for a working circuit.
What are 1) a power source, 2) wire, and 3) a device, and 4) a switch (optional)
Name the five components of an electromagnet.
What are a solenoid, a ferromagnetic core, a conducting wire, a power source, and a switch.