Question

Which type of magnet is the strongest in the world?

Answer 1

Hint:Magnets are rocks or metals that create an invisible field of force around them. This field attracts other magnets or magnetic metal towards it. The ends of the magnetic field are called poles. Poles are the part of the magnetic field where the magnetic field is concentrated. There are two poles in every magnet called the North Pole and the South Pole which is to not to be confused with the geographic North and South pole of the Earth.

Complete step by step solution:
The strongest permanent magnets in the world are “neodymium” (Nd) magnets. These are made up of magnetic material constituting an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron to form the \[N{d_2}F{e_{14}}B\] structure. Neodymium magnets are considered part of the family of rare earth magnets because their main element is the rare earth element, neodymium.

Despite the name, rare earth elements are relatively abundant in the Earth’s crust, but the main problem is, they are rarely found in their concentrated form, and are typically dispersed/mixed with other elements. Neodymium magnets are so strong because of their high resistance to demagnetisation (coercivity) and their high levels of magnetic saturation allowing them to generate large magnetic fields.Because of their strength, even the tiniest of neodymium magnets can be very effective. This also makes them incredibly versatile and hence, these magnets are used in smartphones.

Note: Alnicos (made up of aluminium, nickel and cobalt) were previously considered to be the strongest existing permanent magnets but with the discovery of Neodymium, it has lost its top position. The neodymium compound was first discovered in 1982 by General Motors and Sumitomo Special Metals.