A simple mechanical spring-block model is introduced for studying
magnetization phenomena and in particularly the Barkhausen noise. The model
captures and reproduces the accepted microscopic picture of domain wall
movement and pinning. Computer simulations suggest that this model is able to
reproduce the main characteristics of hysteresis loops and Barkhausen jumps. In
the thermodynamic limit the statistics of the obtained Barkhausen jumps follows
several scaling laws, in qualitative agreement with the experimental results.
The simplicity of the model and the invoked mechanical analogies makes it
attractive for computer simulations and pedagogical purposes.