ferromagnetism

American  

[fer-oh-mag-nuh-tiz-uhm] / ˌfɛr oʊˈmæg nəˌtɪz əm /

noun

1. Physics. the quality or property of being ferromagnetic; the phenomenon by which certain substances, such as iron, exhibit strong, permanent magnetization.

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ferromagnetism British  

/ ˌfɛrəʊˈmæɡnɪˌtɪzəm, ˌfɛrəʊmæɡˈnɛtɪk /

noun

1. the phenomenon exhibited by substances, such as iron, that have relative permeabilities much greater than unity and increasing magnetization with applied magnetizing field. Certain of these substances retain their magnetization in the absence of the applied field. The effect is caused by the alignment of electron spin in regions called domains Compare diamagnetism paramagnetism See also magnet Curie-Weiss law

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ferromagnetism Scientific  

/ fĕr′ō-măg′nĭ-tĭz′əm /

1. The property of being strongly attracted to either pole of a magnet. Ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, contain unpaired electrons, each with a small magnetic field of its own, that align readily with each other in response to an external magnetic field. This alignment tends to persists even after the magnetic field is removed, a phenomenon called hysteresis. Ferromagnetism is important in the design of electromagnets, transformers, and many other electrical and mechanical devices, and in analyzing the history of the earth's magnetic reversals.

2. Compare diamagnetism paramagnetism

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Other Word Forms

• ferromagnetic
  adjective

Example Sentences

In case of ferromagnetism, which is used in permanent magnets, all electron spins align parallel to each other.

From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023

“The experimental papers showing ferromagnetism were pretty convincing, and the new theories are also more carefully done.”

From Scientific American • Aug. 14, 2023

With ferromagnetism understood as deriving from the alignment of the individual magnetic moments of atoms in a crystal, Dr. Anderson provided a quantum explanation for what had been the perplexing property of antiferromagnetism.

From Washington Post • Apr. 1, 2020

One of the earliest descriptions of electronic order in solids was of ferromagnetism, the existence of which was reported in natural minerals in Greece and China more than 2,000 years ago.

From Nature • Dec. 17, 2019

Above a material’s Curie temperature, thermal agitation destroys the alignment of atoms, and ferromagnetism disappears.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015