How Do We Distinguish Poles in Liquid State Magnets?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the properties of liquid state magnets, specifically how to distinguish magnetic poles in such materials and whether they retain their magnetic properties in liquid form. The scope includes theoretical considerations and material properties related to magnetism.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions how to distinguish poles in liquid state magnets and whether they lose their magnetic properties.
  • Another participant asserts that magnetism is a property of bulk iron and that heating iron causes it to lose magnetism before melting.
  • A participant introduces ferrofluids as materials that respond to magnetic fields, mentioning their use in MRI to detect dipole orientation, while noting the difficulty in discussing 'poles' due to the fluid nature of these materials.
  • Another participant clarifies that ferrofluids do not exhibit ferromagnetism and emphasizes the need to specify ferromagnetism when discussing magnetism in general.
  • A later reply references a report of ferromagnetism in undercooled liquid metal, suggesting that there may be exceptions to the general understanding of liquid magnets.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of magnetism in liquid state materials, with some focusing on ferrofluids and others on ferromagnetism in general. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the distinction of poles in liquid state magnets and the retention of magnetic properties.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding the definitions of magnetism, the specific conditions under which materials retain magnetic properties, and the assumptions about the types of magnetism being discussed.

monty37
Messages
225
Reaction score
1
how do we distinguish poles in case of a liquid state magnet ..or do they tend
to lose their magnetic property?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Magnetism is a property not of iron atoms, but of bulk iron. When you heat iron, it loses its magnetism long before it melts.
 
There are some materials: ferrofluids for example, that respond to magnetic fields. As an extreme example, MRI is used to detect the dipole orientation of (aqueous) hydrogen. I'm not sure if you are thinking of either.

There's not much sense to speak of 'poles' in those cases, since the material can flow.
 
Ferrofluids do not display ferromagnetism, nor does water in NMR. While "magnetism" is a huge field with many different behaviors, I think it's safest to assume posters are talking about ferromagnetism unless they specify otherwise.
 

Similar threads

Graduate Magnetization and magnet poles
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
High School How is a magnetic field formed in a space surrounded by one pole?
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Undergrad Magnetism: Same Pole Repulsion & Heteropolar Attraction
  • · Replies 32 ·
2
Replies
32
Views
3K
Undergrad How induction works within a coil (nuances of it)
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
High School Magnetic attraction force Question
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Undergrad Motional EMF in Faraday disc, co-rotating magnet axial mean flux
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
1K
High School Magnetism: Properties, Effects & Uses - 65 Chars
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
1K
Graduate How scientists ensured this fundamental property of magnets?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
Undergrad Earth's Magnetic Field: Why Doesn't It Lose Its Properties?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
1K
Graduate How do metal balls induce stability in a tetrahedral magnet arrangement?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K