  This article describes various misconceptions and misinterpretations
concerning presentation of the hysteresis loop for ferromagnets occurring in
undergraduate textbooks. These problems originate from our teaching a solid
state / condensed matter physics (SSP/CMP) course. A closer look at the
definition of the 'coercivity' reveals two distinct notions referred to the
hysteresis loop: B vs H or M vs H, which can be easily confused and, in fact,
are confused in several textbooks. The properties of the M vs H type hysteresis
loop are often ascribed to the B vs H type loops, giving rise to various
misconceptions. An extensive survey of textbooks at first in the SSP/CMP area
and later extended into the areas of general physics, materials science and
magnetism / electromagnetism has been carried out. Relevant encyclopedias and
physics dictionaries have also been consulted. The survey has revealed various
other substantial misconceptions and/or misinterpretations than those
originally identified in the SSP/CMP area. The results are presented here to
help clarifying the misconceptions and misinterpretations in question. The
physics education aspects arising from the textbook survey are also discussed.
Additionally, analysis of the CMP examination results concerning questions
pertinent for the hysteresis loop is provided.
