Magnetism

Key concepts

How Magnetism connects to the ideas, people and events around it.

1. Magnetic field

   In magnetism and electromagnetism, magnetic field is a physical property of space that quantifies the magnetic influence at a given location.

2. Electric current

   An electric current is a flow of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, through an electrical conductor or space. It is defined as the net rate at which electric charge flows through a surface.

3. Magnetic moment

   In electromagnetism, the magnetic moment or magnetic dipole moment is a vector quantity which characterizes the strength and orientation of a magnet or other object or system that exerts a magnetic field.

4. Elementary particle

   In the Standard Model of particle physics, an elementary particle or fundamental particle is a subatomic particle that is not composed of other particles. The Standard Model recognizes seventeen distinct particles—twelve fermions and five bosons.

5. Electromagnetism

   In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge via electromagnetic fields. The electromagnetic force is one of the four fundamental forces of nature.

6. Ferromagnetism

   Ferromagnetism is a property of certain materials that results in a significant, observable magnetic permeability, and in many cases, a significant magnetic coercivity, allowing the material to form a permanent magnet.

7. Magnetization

   In classical electromagnetism, magnetization is the vector field that expresses the density of permanent or induced magnetic dipole moments in a magnetic material.

8. Magnet

   A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, cobalt, etc.

Questions about Magnetism