Question

What constitutes the field of a magnet ?

Answer 1

The field of a magnet is the area around the magnet inside which the force of attraction due to the magnet can be experienced. The field of a magnet is produced when dipoles in the magnet are oriented in the same direction. This phenomena occurs when current is passed through the magnet. Hence, the particles that constitute the current, also constitute the field of the magnet.

Complete answer:
To understand what constitutes the field of a magnet, let us first understand how the field is generated in the magnet. The experiment related to producing magnetic fields was carried out by Danish physicist Oersted. He arranged a conductor wire parallel to the needle of a magnetic compass such that it lies below the conductor.

He observed that when current was passed through the conductor wire, the magnetic needle of the compass got deflected and became perpendicular to the wire.Now, we know that a magnetic needle is deflected in the presence of the magnetic field, and hence a magnetic field should have been produced around the conductor wire when the current was passed through it, in Oersted's experiment.

Hence, we can say that by passing electric current through a substance, a magnetic field can be produced around it.Now, we know that the flow of current is due to the flow of point charges known as electrons. Hence, we can deduce that the magnetic field is produced due to point charged electrons.

Hence, electrons constitute the field of a magnet.

Note: As the magnetic field is produced by the flow of current, the magnetic field is dependent on the charge, velocity and acceleration of the particles and current strength. Even though the magnetic field is produced by the same method, the constituents producing the field are different in paramagnetic and ferromagnetic particles. Magnetic field is generated in paramagnetic particles due to the uniform arrangement of dipoles, whereas for ferromagnetic materials it is due to the orientation of small regions of atoms known as domains in the same direction.