Question map
Consider the following statements: 1. If a piece of bar magnet is broken into two equally long pieces, the pieces will not lose the magnetic properties. 2. Magnetic properties of a substance lie in the atomic level. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct because breaking a bar magnet into two pieces does not destroy its magnetic properties; instead, each piece becomes a smaller magnet with its own north and south poles. This occurs because the magnetic domains within the material remain aligned even after the physical separation. Statement 2 is also correct as magnetism is fundamentally an atomic-level property. It originates from the angular momentum of atoms, specifically the superposition of electron spin and orbital angular momentum. In ferromagnetic materials like iron, these atomic magnetic moments align within regions called magnetic domains. When a magnet is broken, the internal alignment of these atoms and domains remains intact, ensuring that each resulting piece retains the intrinsic magnetic characteristics of the original material. Therefore, both statements are scientifically accurate.