What is a magnet and what is it made of?
Magnets can be made by placing a magnetic material, such as iron or steel, in a strong magnetic field. Permanent, temporary and electromagnets can all be made this way.
The atoms that make up easily magnetized materials such as iron, steel, nickel and cobalt are arranged in small units called domains. Each domain, although microscopically small, contains millions of billions of atoms, and each domain acts like a tiny magnet. When a magnetic material is placed in a strong magnetic field, the individual domains, which normally point in all directions, gradually swing toward the direction of the field. They also take over neighboring domains. Once most of the domains are aligned with the field, the material becomes a magnet.