How do permanent magnets work

Object that has a magnetic field

This article is about objects and devices that produce magnetic fields. For a description of magnetic materials, see Magnetism.

For other uses, see Magnet (disambiguation).

A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field.

Types of magnet

This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, cobalt, etc. and attracts or repels other magnets.

A permanent magnet is an object made from a material that is magnetized and creates its own persistent magnetic field. An everyday example is a refrigerator magnet used to hold notes on a refrigerator door.

Are permanent magnets really permanent

Materials that can be magnetized, which are also the ones that are strongly attracted to a magnet, are called ferromagnetic (or ferrimagnetic). These include the elements iron, nickel and cobalt and their alloys, some alloys of rare-earth metals, and some naturally occurring minerals such as lodestone.

Although ferromagnetic (and ferrimagnetic) materials are the only o

is permanent magnet made of steel

is permanent magnet made up of steel