How are magnets classified?
Magnets may be classified based on their shape, occurrence and duration of magnetic power.
● Based on shape
Based on their shapes, magnets are classified as bar magnet, a horseshoe magnet, a cylindrical shaped magnet, a ring-shaped magnet, a spherical magnet etc.
Shapes of magnets
● Based on occurrence
Based on how they occur, magnets can be of two types:
- Natural magnets
- Artificial or Man-made magnets
● Based on duration of magnetic power
Based on how long a magnet can retain its magnetic power, we have:
- Temporary magnets
- Permanent magnets
Though all these three methods could be identified as ways to classify magnets, the different shapes of magnets are not actually types of magnets. Occurrence and duration of magnetic power are the right parameters to classify magnets into different types.
What are the different types of magnets?
● Natural and Man-made
- A Natural magnet is a magnet that occurs naturally in
For example, lodestone is the strongest naturally occurring magnet. Other examples of naturally occurring magnetic materials are pyrrhotite, columbite and basalt.
- Magnets made artificially with the help of technology are called Man-made
● Temporary and Permanent magnets
- The magnets that retain their magnetism in the absence of an external magnetic field are called Permanent magnets. Their magnetic strength never really fades on its own. All natural magnets are permanent magnets
- The magnets that cannot retain their magnetism or retain it for a very short time are
called Temporary magnets. Temporary magnets act as magnets only while they’re within
a strong magnetic field.