What kind of materials are attracted to magnets

You must have seen how paper clips get attached to each other when a permanent magnet is nearby. Every paper clip becomes a temporary magnet attracting other paper clips in the presence of a magnetic field. Once the permanent magnet is taken away, the paper clips lose their magnetic properties.

Electromagnets are magnets that produce magnetic fields when an electric current passes through them. They have various use-cases. For example, motors, generators, relays, headphones, etc. In electromagnets a coil of wire winds around a ferromagnetic core.

Connecting the wire to a source of electricity produces a strong magnetic field. The ferromagnetic material further amplifies it. Electromagnets can be extremely strong depending on the electric current. They also provide the ability to turn the magnetic force on and off with the press of a button. This is an extremely special property that helps us to use the magnetic force in our applications.

With the help of an electromagnet, we can pick up the scrap metal by passing an electric current through it. When we need to drop the pieces, all we have to do is turn off the electricity to the magnet. Another interesting example of an electromagnet application is the Maglev train. In this application, a train lifts off the tracks and levitates. It is only possible when an electric current runs through electromagnets on the train body. This considerably reduces the resistance faced by the train when in motion.

Hence, these trains have very high velocities. There are various ways in which a metal may interact with a magnet. This depends on the internal structure of the materials.

Metals can be classified as:. While magnets strongly attract ferromagnetic metals , they only weakly attract paramagnetic metals. Diamagnetic materials, on the other hand, show a weak repulsion when placed near a magnet. Only ferromagnetic metals are considered truly magnetic. Some of them are magnetic at all times. Other, like stainless steel, have magnetic properties only with a certain chemical composition.

Iron is an extremely well-known ferromagnetic metal. It is, in fact, the strongest ferromagnetic metal. That is why the Earth acts as a permanent magnet on its own. In addition to its net electron spin at the atomic level, its crystalline structure also plays an important role. Without it, iron would not be a magnetic metal. Iron is ferromagnetic in its body-centred cubic bcc alpha-FE structure. At the same time, it does not show magnetism in face-centred cubic fcc gamma-Fe structure.

Beta-Fe structure, for example, displays paramagnetic tendencies. Nickel is another popular magnetic metal with ferromagnetic properties. Historically, nickel has been used to make coins. Today, nickel finds use in batteries, coatings, kitchen tools, phones, buildings, transport and jewellery.

A large portion of nickel is used to manufacture ferronickel for stainless steel. Because of its magnetic properties, nickel is also part of Alnico magnets made of aluminium, nickel, and cobalt. These magnets are stronger than rare-earth metal magnets but weaker than iron-based magnets. Cobalt is an important ferromagnetic metal. Cobalt can be used to produce soft as well as hard magnets. Soft magnets that use cobalt have advantages over other soft magnets.

Cobalt with its alloys is used in hard disks, wind turbines, MRI machines, motors, actuators, and sensors. What Types of Metal are Attracted to Magnets?

Materials That Can Be Magnetized. Types of Magnets. How Are Magnets Formed? List of Paramagnetic Atoms. Differences Between Magnets. How Does Heat Affect Magnets? Natural Magnets Theory.

What Causes Things to Get Magnetized? Why Is an Electromagnet a Temporary Magnet? What Makes a Material Magnetic? What Causes Different Strengths in Magnets? Energy Information Administration: Magnets and Electricity. Ferritic and austenitic stainless steels exhibit different atomic arrangements, because of the differences ferritic stainless steels are generally magnetic while austenitic stainless steels usually are not.

Ferritic stainless steel owes its magnetism to its high concentration of iron and its fundamental structure. Whereas during in the manufacturing process if nickel is added then this creates an austenitic stainless steel which in not magnetic. If you still have any questions or queries then be sure to get in touch with our team of experts who are available on or sales magnetexpert. Customer Questions , Magnets , Physics , Science.

Metals that attract to magnets Metals that naturally attract to magnets are known as ferromagnetic metals; these magnets will firmly stick to these metals.