How Does the Weight of a Magnet Affect Its Strength?

Information About Magnets

• The broadest definition of the scientific term "magnet" is any object that produces a magnetic field. Objects that are magnetized and produce a persistent magnetic field are called permanent magnets and include elements such as iron, nickel and cobalt. Other substance produce a magnetic field that is only temporary and disappears when the source of the magnetism is removed. All matter responds to magnetic fields in some way.

Explanation of Magnetism

• Magnetism refers to the various ways in which an object may respond to a magnetic field. There are actually several types of magnetism. Ferromagnetism is the strongest form of magnetism. It is the reaction you observe when you stick a magnet onto your refrigerator. There is also paramagnetism, which is a slight attraction to a magnetic field and diamagnetism, which is a slight repulsion by a magnetic field. The term "magnetization" is a measurement of how strong the magnetism of an object is. It is represented by a general equation - M = N/Vm. This equation works out to the number of magnetic moments per unit of volume. Magnetic moment is the amount of magnetic force that the object exerts on an electric current.

Explanation of Weight

• Weight is another concept in physics. Mass is defined as the amount of matter in an object. Weight is defined as the mass of an object times the force of gravity on that object. Weight is a conditional property of an object; where there is no gravitational force pulling on the object, the object becomes weightless. However, it still has mass. This is where the principle of magnetism relates to the concept of weight

Weight and Magnetism

• As stated above, magnetism is the number of magnetic moments per unit of volume. Volume is defined as the amount of space and object takes up. The greater the volume of the object, the stronger its magnetism. Density is defined as an object's weight per unit of volume.

  Generally, the more dense an object is, the more it weighs and the greater its volume. Therefore, the greater the weight of the object, the greater the volume and the stronger the magnetism. However, this is not always true. An object can have a substantial weight and still not have a large volume; so its magnetism will be weaker than an object with greater volume that weighs less. Volume, not weight is the determining factor in magnetism.