Magnets can be permanent or electromagnets and non-magnets can be ferromagnetic, paramagnetic, or diamagnetic. Magnet strength is measured in gauss and can be affected by various conditions. Rare earth magnets are measured in pull force. Magnet strength decreases as you move away from the surface.
A magnet is any object that produces its own magnetic field. The magnet strength of these objects can range from imperceptibly weak fields to incredibly strong fields, depending on a number of characteristics. Magnets can be classified into two distinct groups: permanent magnets and electromagnets, while non-magnets can be defined as ferromagnetic, paramagnetic or diamagnetic. Ferromagnetic materials such as iron are strongly attracted to magnets, paramagnetic materials such as aluminum are only slightly attracted to magnets, and diamagnetic materials such as carbon are weakly repelled by magnets.
Permanent magnets are those objects that are magnetized and will remain magnetized forever. A permanent magnet can be created by taking a hard ferromagnetic substance, such as hard iron, lodestones, cobalt, and a number of rare earth metals, and magnetizing it strongly. Soft ferromagnetic substances may acquire a temporary magnetic field, but will tend to lose it rather rapidly. Electromagnets, on the other hand, consist of coils of wire that acquire a magnetic field when electricity is passed through them, but immediately lose it when the electricity ceases.
You can measure a material’s overall magnetic force, known as its magnetic moment, or its local strength, known simply as its magnetization. The magnetic moment can be calculated for a substance depending on whether it contains intrinsic magnetism or magnetism caused by an electric current. If the magnetism is intrinsic, the size of each elementary particle within the material can be measured and the net momentum determined. If caused by an electric current, one must follow the magnetism of the electrons flowing through the object.
Magnet strength is usually labeled on commercial magnets as a reading given in terms of a gauss rating and can be measured with a magnetometer. There are two main types of magnetometers, one that examines the net magnetism of an object, known as scalar devices, and another that can plot magnetism vectors, giving the strength of a magnetic field in a particular direction, known as vector devices. . Different magnetometers work in different ways. Common vector magnetometers include superconducting quantum interference devices, atomic SERFs, and fluxgates. Common scalar devices include Hall effect magnetometers, proton precession magnetometers, and spinning coil magnetometers.
It is important to note that often the gauss rating given for a magnet does not actually reflect the surface magnetism of the object. Generally, the calculated magnet strength on a commercial magnet will reflect the strength of the magnet’s core, which can be substantially stronger than the surface strength, and will decrease the further you move away. For example, a magnet that might measure 3000 Gauss just off the surface of the magnet would measure 2500 Gauss as you move away from the magnet even a little. For this reason, some manufacturers offer alternative magnet strength measurements that help give people a better idea of what they’re getting.
In recent years, as rare earth magnets have become popular for home use, magnet strength has started to be given simply in terms of pull force, referring to how much weight the magnet can pull, measured by a Pull- testers. It should also be noted that the strength of the magnet can be affected by many conditions, including electricity, heat and, in some cases, humidity. The strength of the magnet also decreases exponentially as you move away from the surface, so a magnet that is very strong right against it will have no attraction when you move away.
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