Why does heating a magnet make it less magnetized?

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    Heating Magnet Magnets
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SUMMARY

Heating a magnet reduces its magnetization due to the thermal agitation of atoms, which disrupts the alignment of magnetic domains. As the temperature increases, the electrons do not move farther from the nucleus; instead, they occupy higher energy orbitals, leading to a loss of magnetic order. Once a magnet is heated, it does not regain its magnetic properties upon cooling, indicating a permanent change in its magnetic state.

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sams123
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I'm talking about how like the atoms expand and the electrons get farther away from the nucleus. This might be a stupid question but how does that make it less magnetic? Like what do the electrons being farther away have to do with how strong the magnet is?
 
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That's not what heating a magnet does. Electrons don't move farther away from the nucleus. They are in distinct orbitals, and the only way they can move away is via excitement and making quantum leaps to higher orbitals.

This is what heating does to magnets. The left image represents a heated magnet, the right, a cool magnet.

mag1.gif
 
Note that after heating, cooling down will not restore magnetic properties, if left alone.
 

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