Permanent & Induced Magnets

• Magnetic material: any object that can be influenced by a magnetic field and has the potential to become a magnet
• Not all magnetic materials are magnets; magnets produce a magnetic field, while magnetic materials can be influenced by a magnetic field
• Common magnetic elements: nickel, cobalt, iron, and their alloys like steel
• Permanent magnets: produce their own magnetic field all the time
• Induced or temporary magnets: have a magnetic field temporarily when a piece of magnetic material is put into the field of a permanent magnet
• Force between permanent and induced magnets is always attractive
• When an induced magnet is removed from the magnetic field, it loses its magnetism
• Magnetic materials like nickel and iron can be magnetically soft (lose magnetism quickly) or magnetically hard (lose magnetism slowly)