Electromagnets are soft iron cores that are made into magnets on passing an electric current through the coil surrounding them.
A permanent magnet is something that is an innate ability of a magnet that continues to show magnetism even if it is removed from the magnetic field.
So, here if we differentiate between an electromagnet and a permanent magnet, it seems that permanent magnets are better than electromagnets; however, each of these has its own advantages.
This article discusses the difference between an electromagnet and a permanent magnet in points.
Electromagnetism Meaning
The word ‘Electro’ in electromagnetism talks about the magnetism that is caused by the effect of electricity, and soon it loses its magnetism when it is brought away from the area of the magnetic field.
Permanent Magnetism Meaning
The word permanent talks about something that remains firm or permanent. Here, permanent magnetism means a magnet that retains its magnetism after the removal of the magnetizing force or after taking a magnet from the vicinity of the magnetic field.
The below diagram represents the difference between the electromagnet and permanent magnet:
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Differentiate Between Permanent Magnet and Electromagnet
Distinguish Between the Electromagnet and Permanent Magnet:
Now, let’s discuss more to differentiate between the electromagnet and permanent magnet:
The table below lists the difference between the electromagnet and permanent magnet
Difference between Permanent and Electromagnet
Uses and Advantages of using Permanent Magnet
The permanent magnets are particularly efficient at attracting other magnetic objects and a lot of modern appliances need to convert the mechanical motion into a kind of force or energy to work. One of such appliances is inductions and generators. They convert the motion into energy with the help of permanent magnets. They are also used in televisions, speakers, or headphones as they need to create a magnetic field around them to work.
Permanent magnets are also not so expensive and that is why the usages of permanent magnets in the industrial sectors prove to be quite a good idea. They are portable and consume less space. The best part of permanent magnets is that they do not need a separate wiring system in order to create the magnetic field and that is why their manufacturing cost is also quite low compared to the electromagnets.
The appliances that incorporate permanent magnets into their system can be used in various ways and multiple times and that is why they are quite cost-effective. Since permanent magnets do not need any external power supply or force to create the magnetic field, variation in the power of the magnetic field in different areas cannot be seen. Using permanent magnets can provide you with a uniform magnetic field.
FAQs on Difference Between Electromagnet and Permanent Magnet for JEE Main 2024
1. How do Electromagnets Differ from Permanent Magnets?
We know that permanent magnets are made of hard materials, which are ferromagnetic in nature, and they are also referred to as electromagnets with a continuous current flowing thereby making each and every atom inside the wire, a magnet.
If we talk about electromagnets, their magnetism disappears with the passage of time.
The key difference between an electromagnet and a permanent magnet is that the electromagnet can have a magnetic field when an electric current flows through it and disappears when the flow of the current stops, while permanent magnets are made up of magnetic material that can be easily magnetized and can create its own magnetic field.
2. What is the Theory of Electromagnetism?
A theory of electromagnetism is also known as classical electromagnetism. It was developed by various physicists during the period between 1820 and 1873 when it was in the publication of a treatise by James Clerk Maxwell, where he unified the ongoing developments into a single theory and discovered/founded the electromagnetic nature of light.
This theory covers the basic principles of the following things:
Principles of electromagnetism: its experimental basis
Electrostatics
Magnetic fields of steady currents
Motional e.m.f. and electromagnetic induction or EMI
Maxwell's equations
The propagation and radiation of electromagnetic waves or EMW,
Electric and magnetic properties of matter, and c
Laws of conservation
3. Is electromagnet a type of permanent magnet?
Electromagnet needs a continuous supply of power in order to create a magnetic field. The electromagnet consists of a wire in the shape of a coil. Since electromagnets need a continuous power supply in order to create the magnetic field, whenever the power supply stops or the current gets turned off the magnetic field intensity disappears. The wire is usually coiled around to create a powerful magnetic core and is generally made of metal like iron to create a powerful magnetic field.
The difference between an electromagnet and a permanent magnet is that a permanent magnet does not need any kind of power supply in order to create the magnetic field. Electromagnet needs that continuous power supply in the form of current to create and maintain the magnetic field. Also, electromagnets are preferred over permanent magnets because if you change the amount of power supply to the wire, the strength of the magnetic field created by the electromagnet can also be changed. The best part about electromagnet is that the magnetic field can be changed or be controlled depending on the amount of power you can supply to the wire.
4. What are the practical applications of an electromagnet?
Electromagnets can be categorized into two types depending on the applications of the magnets. Portative electromagnets are used that can hold a particular object at a particular place. Tractive electromagnets are used to move a particular object from one place to another in the presence of an external force. Electromagnets are used in electric devices. Electromechanical appliances that need an electromagnetic field to work also use electromagnets.
A lot of motors use electromagnets. They use tractive electromagnets that use external force to move a particular object or device. Apart from that, generators also use electromagnets. Transformers, electric bells, and buzzers create an electromagnetic field to work properly, and hence, the use of electromagnetics can be seen here. Electromagnets are also used in various kinds of tape recorders or voice recorders. Hard disks also include electromagnets.
They are also used in medical sectors because a lot of modern technologies that are used to diagnose critical health conditions like MRI machines make use of electromagnets. They are used in cookware like inductions. They are widely used in industrial sectors and to manufacture lifting machines. The widespread use of electromagnets is quite evident from the above examples.
5. What is the purpose of learning about electromagnets and their mechanism?
It is very important to understand the concepts of how electromagnets work because it has a lot of practical applications in various sectors. To make use of electromagnets, understanding the scientific analysis of their mechanism is very important. Also, electromagnets are used in technological appliances as well. For the students who want to pursue their career in electrical engineering or any other field of engineering, they must understand the concept of electromagnets.