A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field, which 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. The magnetic force in a magnet flows from the north to the south pole, which creates the magnetic field. The following are the basic properties of a magnet:
- When a magnet is dipped in iron filings, we can observe that the iron filings cling to the end of the magnet as the attraction is maximum at the ends of the magnet. These ends are known as poles of the magnets.
- Magnetic poles always exist in pairs.
There are three types of magnets:
- Permanent magnet: These magnets are commonly used and do not lose their magnetic property once they are magnetized.
- Temporary magnet: These magnets are made from soft magnetic materials and lose their magnetism quickly.
- Electromagnets: These magnets are made by passing an electric current through a wire that is coiled around a magnetic core.
Magnets can be made from specific elements that create a magnetic field, and all magnets have at least two poles - north and south - with the magnetic field lines. Only certain classes of materials can produce their own persistent magnetic field even in the absence of an applied magnetic field, and these materials are called magnets.
