Do you find me attractive?

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By Linda | February 23, 2008

Here’s a really clever poem about magnetism followed by some interesting facts:

I’VE TURNED MAGNETIC

I wish I could’ve turned athletic,
But just my luck… I’ve turned magnetic.
Paper clips fly up to greet me.
Nails, it seems, can’t wait to meet me.
I’m sticking to the baby’s stroller.
Look at me, I’m so bi-polar.
I make the TV super active.
At least the spoons find me attractive.
The phone’s for me? What’s that you say?
Why don’t I come out to play?
I think I’ll have to join you later…
I’m stuck on our refrigerator.

This photo of a bar magnet and iron filings illustrates the first fact listed below

Some Facts about Magnets:

Each end of a piece of magnet is referred to as a pole, and the magnetism of each magnet is concentrated in its poles.
When the North Pole of one magnet is brought close to the South Pole of another magnet, they attract each other. Whereas if you bring a South Pole of one magnet close to the South Pole of another, or the North Pole near the North Pole of another, they repel each other.
Usually, magnets are made of steel or iron. However, special alloys of iron, nickel, copper, cobalt, and aluminum can be made into powerful magnets.
Hammering and heating a piece of steel or iron in a north to south direction can magnetize it. This is because the molecules get aligned in a north-south direction.
When an unmagnetized piece of steel or iron is rubbed with a magnet in a north to south direction, it gets magnetized. This is because the molecules get aligned in a north-south direction. When an unmagnetized piece of steel or iron is placed beside a magnet, it becomes magnetized. This is because the molecules get aligned in a north-south direction.
Since the Earth itself acts as a huge bar magnet, having a magnetic north pole and south pole, when a piece of unmagnetized material is placed in a north to south direction, it results in magnetizing it due to the magnetic field of the Earth. This is because the molecules get aligned in a north-south direction. Hammering a magnet can result in demagnetizing it because the molecules lose their north-south alignment and get arranged with their poles placed randomly in various directions.
When a magnet is heated in a hot flame, it will result in demagnetizing it because the molecules lose their north-south alignment and get arranged with their poles placed randomly in various directions.
An electromagnet is created when a piece of iron is coiled with a wire and electricity is passed through the coiled wire. This magnetizes the iron bar as long as the current is switched on, on switching off the electricity, it gets demagnetized.