Loading…
Loading…
GCSE Combined Science · key term
A magnet that produces its own magnetic field and retains its magnetism without needing to be placed in another magnetic field.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Specification 6.7.1.1 · Paper 6
Revise: Magnetic PolesA permanent magnet produces its own magnetic field. A bar magnet remains a magnet when other magnets are taken away; it does not depend on a nearby magnet to maintain its magnetism.
Paper 5, Paper 6
A magnet that retains its magnetism and produces its own magnetic field without needing an external magnetic field.
Revise: Magnets, magnetic fields and compassesA permanent magnet retains its magnetism and produces its own magnetic field. Steel can be used to make permanent magnets because it retains magnetism. Permanent magnets are useful in compasses, where a magnetic needle must remain magnetised, and in loudspeakers and electric generators, where a lasting magnetic field is needed.
Attraction alone does not prove that an object is a permanent magnet: an unmagnetised magnetic material is also attracted. Repulsion by a known magnet shows that the object is itself a magnet.
Create a free account to read GCSE Combined Science revision notes for your exam board and track your progress.