How to Measure the Force of Magnets
You can measure the force of magnets if you have a gaussmeter, an electronic device with a read-out calibrated in units called gauss. Gaussmeters come in both handheld and benchtop styles.
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Instructions
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To measure a magnet, first find a non-magnetic bench area and remove any interfering magnetic materials, such as credit cards, security badges, or mp3 players. Put them several feet away in a safe place.
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Clear the bench of any magnets, ferrous metals and computer equipment.
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Set the gaussmeter on the bench. Plug it in and turn it on.
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Set the gaussmeter to its most sensitive setting and check it for stray or background magnetic fields. These may be due to electric wiring, the earth's magnetic field and other weak ambient sources.
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If you get a nonzero reading with no magnets on the bench, adjust the reading to zero. Your gaussmeter may or may not have a zero calibration control.
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Set the gaussmeter to AC or DC, depending on the magnets you'll be measuring. Permanent magnets will use the DC scale, household line-powered electromagnets will use AC. If the gaussmeter doesn't have this setting, assume it measures only permanent magnets.
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Place the magnet on the bench. Hold the gaussmeter's probe as close as possible to the magnet. Move the probe around the magnet and make a note of maximum and minimum readings. If the gaussmeter reads off-scale, switch the range to a less sensitive setting. If you're reading a permanent magnet, negative readings indicate its south pole, positive readings indicate magnetic north.
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References
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Comments
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What does it mean when you get a negative reading with a Gaussmeter when you are checking a device that has no magnets, coils and is completely digital? I am getting -0.2G.
