poles of a magnet

• the poles of a magnet are the places where the magnetic forces are the strongest
• when two magnets are brought close to each other, they exert a force on each other
• like poles exert a repulsive force, unlike poles exert an attractive force
• a permanent magnet produces its own magnetic field, and doesn't lose magnetism
• and induced magnet is a magnetic material that can be influenced by a magnetic field and can behave like a magnet when placed in the magnetic field of a permanent magnet
• induced magnets always attract, and cause a force of attraction
• a magnetic material is a material that becomes an induced magnet once placed in a magnetic field
• magnetically soft materials are magnetic materials that lose their magnetism very quickly once removed from a magnetic field (eg nickel and iron)
• magnetically hard materials are magnetic materials that lose their magnetism slowly once removed from a magnetic field (eg steel)
• four magnetic materials are: cobalt, iron, nickel and steel
• • to test if a material is a magnet, it should be brought close to a known permanent magnet
  • if it is repelled at one pole and attracted at the other, the material itself is a magnet
  • if it is only attracted, then it is a magnetic material that became an induced magnet