The Many Uses Of Rare Earth Magnets

Rare earth magnets are a class of elemental compounds that possess an unusually powerful magnetic force. Typical, everyday refrigerator magnets exhibit a force between one and one half teslas (a tesla is the unit of measurement for magnets). Rare earth compound can produce forces beyond one and a half teslas. For this reason, they are exceptionally useful in certain capacities. However, by themselves, these magnets are fine, brittle and corrode easily. Because of this, rare earth magnets are often coated with another material to protect them from breaking. These magnets rare earth has provided are not actually rare in the traditional sense of the word.

The name may seem deceptive since the compounds are as common as lead and tin. However, the name is meant to refer to the rareness of the powerful magnetic field and not its value of worth or preciousness—gold is being truly rare in nature. In the early to mid—1960s, scientists began to see the value of these metals. Once they were able to pair lanthanides with compounds of iron, resulting in a higher Curie temperature (the heat at which the compound is magnetic), rare earth magnets became a popular substance to use as permanent magnets.

The twist, and few people are aware of this, is that magnetism is to be credited for more than ninety percent of the working engines in the world. Magnetism is found in car engines, televisions, DC motors, vending machines, modems, computers welding machines, and an endless number of other engine and motor components. The greater the magnetism is, the more effective the motor will be. Since magnets rare earth created, display powerful magnetic force, they have led the way to opening many other engine options.

Most importantly, magnets are used as the driving force behind computer technology. Every hard drive has a recognizable, banana-shaped rare earth magnet in it that is integral to the function of the computer. While the concepts behind the magnet are unimportant to most individuals, the fact that they are there goes to show the importance of efficient magnetic field devices. Yet, for most people, magnets are nothing more than devices with which to pin documents to the refrigerator.

Fortunately, this is an acceptable use, even for magnets rare earth compounded to form. Many people enjoy playing with them; consider levitating object magic tricks and magnet spheres. The only important consideration will be to remember that unless the magnets are made for entertainment, the protective coating on them that prevents corrosion will be thin and will easily chip. The strength of rare earth compounds can make it difficult to enjoy the force of attraction the magnets have to each other without causing the protective outer cover to fragment, and while these magnets are not excessively pricy; they are not cheap either, selling for roughly twenty dollars an ounce.

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