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Making Magnets and Destroying Magnets

Making magnets

The stroking method

Use a permanent magnet and stroke a piece of steel (must be hard - you want it to stay a magnet) with a wide circular action many times in the same direction. This causes the domains to line up. Each stroke lines up domains. Once they are all lined up the magnet is at maximum strength.

Using a solenoid

Put the steel (must be magnetically hard - you want it to stay a magnet!!) rod inside a solenoid. Pass a d.c. current through the coil for a period of time. The longer the time, the higher the current and the more turns on the solenoid the quicker your magnet will be made. Once all of the domains are lined up the magnet will be at maximum strength.

Destroying magnets

Bash, drop or hammer the magnet.

This gives energy to the domains and lets them reorientate themselves intorandom directions again.

Heat it.

Again, this gives energy to the domains and lets them reorientate themselves intorandom directions again.

Use a solenoid.

Put the magnet inside a solenoid (a long coil wire). Pass an AC current through the coil for a period of time. The longer the time, the higher the current and the more turns on the solenoid the quicker your magnet will be demagnetised.The AC supply voltage repeatedly pulls the domains into opposing directions. This results in them getting disorientated and all pointing in random directions again.

Try the magnetism wordmaze: click here

Magnetism and levitation - click here

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