Atomic Structure of Magnets

Austin Bryan

Short Description of Topic

The Main Idea

The magnetic field produced by a magnet is the sum of the magnetic fields generated by each individual atom. These very small magnetic fields are generated much like those of circular current loops; however instead of being generated by electrons flowing through a wire, the field in each individual atom is produced in one three different ways:

1. An electron orbiting around the atomic nucleus.
2. An electron rotating around its axis.
3. The rotation of protons and neutrons within the nucleus of the atom.

All three of these situations produce a magnetic dipole proportional to the angular momentum. Together, the magnetic dipoles of all the atoms in the magnet sum to give the total magnetic dipole of the magnet. The magnetic field at an observation location can then be found from this dipole.

A Mathematical Model

What are the mathematical equations that allow us to model this topic. For example [math]\displaystyle{ {\frac{d\vec{p}}{dt}}_{system} = \vec{F}_{net} }[/math] where p is the momentum of the system and F is the net force from the surroundings.

A Computational Model

How do we visualize or predict using this topic. Consider embedding some vpython code here Teach hands-on with GlowScript

Examples

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Connectedness

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2. How is it connected to your major?
3. Is there an interesting industrial application?

History

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See also

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Further reading

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External links

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