Magnetism

Syllabus tag: KCSE | Physics | Form 2 | Topic 11 Magnetism

Lesson objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• State the properties of magnets and the basic law of magnetism.
• Describe magnetic field patterns and the neutral point.
• Explain the domain theory of magnetism.
• Describe methods of making and demagnetising magnets, and their applications.

Summary

A magnet attracts magnetic materials and, when free, points north-south. Like poles repel and unlike poles attract, and as with charge, repulsion is the only sure test of a magnet. The domain theory explains magnetism as the alignment of tiny magnetic regions within the material.