Uses of Electromagnets

This lesson covers the practical applications of electromagnets and compares them with permanent magnets — as required by the Edexcel GCSE Physics specification (1PH0), Topic 8: Magnetism and Electromagnetism. You need to understand why electromagnets are chosen over permanent magnets for specific tasks, and be able to describe how they work in various devices.

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Advantages of Electromagnets Over Permanent Magnets

The key advantage of an electromagnet is that it can be controlled:

Feature	Electromagnet	Permanent Magnet
Switch on/off	Yes — by switching the current	No — always magnetic
Vary strength	Yes — by changing the current	No — fixed strength
Reverse polarity	Yes — by reversing the current	No — fixed poles
Very strong fields	Possible (with high current and many turns)	Limited by material
Power needed	Yes — requires electricity	No — no power supply needed
Demagnetises?	When current is off	No (unless heated or dropped)