Is Magnetism A Physical Property: How,Why And Detailed Facts

We are familiar with the magnets which attract ferromagnetic material such as iron; it is the basic property of magnetism. By this, you may have a question that is magnetism a physical property?

Magnetism is a material property due to the exertion of force on the other material to attract or repel them. Magnetism deals with the physical interaction of the material. So in this post, let us discuss is magnetism a physical property and how is magnetism a physical property in detail.

Before going to answer the above-mentioned question, is magnetism a physical property? Let us learn the origin of magnetism. Material is made of several individual small particles called an atom. Each and every atom in the material consists of electrons that partially carries the electric charges. The motion of these electric charges is responsible for a material possessing magnetism.

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Why is magnetism a physical property?

The exciting property of the magnet is attraction and repulsion. Every magnet has two poles, the south and the north pole. When two opposite poles of magnets come closer, they are attracted by one another meanwhile, and if two like poles of magnets comes closer, they repel each other.

Attracting the unlike poles and repelling the like poles does not make any difference in the composition. The two magnets are able to sustain their magnetism even if they repel by the like pole or if they may get attracted by the like pole. And there is no chemical reaction take place by the magnetic property of the material. Thus magnetism is purely a physical property of the material.

Not every object possesses magnetism. The material must be attracted by the magnetic field to possess magnetism. The ferromagnetic materials are largely influenced by the magnetic field. In the process of magnetization, the motion of the orbital electron acquires kinetic energy; thus, the electron is influenced by the magnetic field to achieve the magnetic property.

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How is magnetism a physical property?

Every material possesses some physical property that describes the nature of that material differs from other materials. Magnetism is the unique property exerted due to electron motion.

Electric current and magnetic moments of a particle in the atom gives the magnetic field. The metals which are highly influenced by the magnetic field can undergo magnetization to become permanent magnets. These magnets attract the material of iron. Attracting an object does not cause a change in the composition of an object, and it does not involve any chemical reaction. Thus, magnetism describes the special nature of the substance.

The magnetic property of the material is mainly due to the alignment of the atoms and their electronic configuration. Being attracted by the magnets does not change the electronic configuration of the iron; this gives evidence for magnetism as a physical property.

When the iron is placed near the magnet which radiates the magnetic field lines to cause the orbital electrons of the iron piece to acquire kinetic energy by causing the motion of iron towards the magnet. In general, we say that magnet attracts iron.

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Interesting points to know about magnetism

• Every magnet possesses two poles; the north pole and the south pole. It is impossible to achieve a magnetic monopole. Even if you break a magnetic into two pieces, you will end up with two poles again.
• Electron in an atom possesses both spin up and spin down state, which is responsible for the magnetic property. They exert a force on the charged particle in the atom to spin. All the atoms must possess 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 large, the iron piece is less attracted by 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 to change in the alignment of the material and for pressure it is vice-versa.
• We can also achieve temporary magnetism by applying electric current or by pacing the soft metal near the magnetic field. The temporary magnets made by passing electric current is often known as electro-magnets.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is temporary magnetism a physical property?

Any property which does not affect chemical behaviour and describes the physical nature of the material is considered to be physical property.

Temporary magnetism is obtained by either passing the electric current or by placing it in a permanent magnetic field for a long time, which makes soft metal achieve temporary magnetism. Bypassing the electric current, spinning of the orbital electron takes place; this alters the only physical property of the atom, not chemical property such as pH composition. Thus temporary magnetism is also physical property.

Is change in magnetism a physical property?

Magnetism is also can be changed. The change in magnetism refers to variation in the amount of attraction and repulsion of the metal.

Varying the distance leads to a change in magnetism. Magnetism is more when the magnet and the metal are closer. The varying distance is a change in the physical entity. It has nothing to do with chemical behavior; thus, a change in magnetism is also a physical property.

Is magnetism an intensive property or extensive property?

Magnetism is an intensive property.

When an iron piece is attracted by a magnet, the magnetism is not focused on the size and shape of either iron or magnet. And also, magnetism is not fond of how much amount of metal is attracted towards the magnet. Even if you place a small pin near the magnet, it will attract the pin irrespective of size, shape, and amount.

On what factor does change in magnetism depends?

The magnetism mainly depends on the two factors, they are

• Temperature –rise in the temperature causes thermal motion of the charged particle; hence regular alignment of the atomic system of magnetic material is disturbed.
• Applied magnetic field strength –stronger the magnetic field strength, the greater will be the magnetization.

What are factors affecting the field strength of a magnet?

There are several factors that may affect the magnetic field strength as they are applied to the magnets; they are

• Heat –for certain magnetic materials, heat causes them to lose magnetization.
• The magnetic field strength is highly suffered by the radiation damage if a high energy beam strikes them.
• The close contact with other magnets highly affects the field strength of the magnets.
• The supply of strong electric current in proximity can damage the field strength.
• The magnet can also get corrosion due to humidity, which affects the field strength.

What is the importance of physical property?

Physical properties always characterize the physical behavior and nature of the matter. It also describes the defined state of the matter.

Most necessarily, physical property is important to understand how to handle and store the material. In some cases, physical properties are helpful to know the occurrence of the chemical reaction. So physical properties also act as indicators of the chemical reaction.

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