Loading please wait

The smart way to improve grades

Comprehensive & curriculum aligned

Try an activity or get started for free

Explain how Materials become Magnetised and De-magnetised

In this worksheet, students will explain how materials can be made magnetic and how they can be demagnetised, which means how magnetism can be removed.

'Explain how Materials become Magnetised and De-magnetised' worksheet

Key stage:  KS 3

Year:  Year 8 Science worksheets

Curriculum topic:   Physics: Electricity and Electromagnetism

Curriculum subtopic:   Magnetism

Difficulty level:  

Worksheet Overview

Soft magnetic materials - like soft iron - can be turned into weak magnets when you place a strong, permanent magnet near them. Steel can also be magnetised (not as easily as iron) but it can stay magnetised longer. You can magnetise a steel rod if you stroke it with a permanent magnet several times in the same direction. You can also place a steel bar in a magnetic field, then heat it to a high temperature and hammer it as it cools. A piece of iron or steel could be magnetised by placing it in a coil of wire with an electric current passing through it, always in the same direction.

 

Some materials - like iron, cobalt or nickel - have little groups of atoms in them that behave like magnets. These groups of atoms are called magnetic domains. In unmagnetised materials, the magnetic domains are arranged randomly and point in different directions, cancelling each other out. In magnetised materials, the domains are aligned in such a way that they all point in the same direction. The better the alignment is, the stronger the magnet.

 

The diagram below shows the alignment before and after magnetising a piece of metal:

 

Magnetising metal

 

The reason an unmagnetised nail is attracted to a magnetic piece of iron is that more domains in the nail line up when it is placed near the magnet. When the magnet is removed, most domains return to a random arrangement and the nail becomes demagnetised.

 

In non-magnetic materials the domains remain in a random arrangement, even when placed in a magnetic field.

 

Magnetism can also be removed in a number of ways:

 

Drop or hammer the magnet - this reduces the alignment and the magnetism

Heat the magnet

Stroke one magnet with another in different directions. This works better for demagnetising weaker magnets.

What is EdPlace?

We're your National Curriculum aligned online education content provider helping each child succeed in English, maths and science from year 1 to GCSE. With an EdPlace account you’ll be able to track and measure progress, helping each child achieve their best. We build confidence and attainment by personalising each child’s learning at a level that suits them.

Get started
laptop

Try an activity or get started for free

  • National Tutoring Awards 2023 Shortlisted / Parents
    National Tutoring Awards 2023 Shortlisted
  • Private-Tutoring-WINNER-EducationInvestor-Awards / Parents
    Winner - Private Tutoring
  • Bett Awards Finalist / Parents
    Finalist
  • Winner - Best for Home Learning / Parents
    Winner - Best for Home Learning / Parents