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What types of magnets are there?

What types of magnets are there?

There are three main types of magnets:
    Permanent magnets
    Temporary magnets
    Electromagnets

Permanent Magnets

Permanent magnets are those we are most familiar with, such as the magnets hanging onto our refrigerator doors.  They are permanent in the sense that once they are magnetized, they retain a level of magnetism.  As we will see, different types of permanent magnets have different characteristics or properties concerning how easily they can be demagnetized, how strong they can be, how their strength varies with temperature, and so on.

Temporary Magnets

Temporary magnets are those which act like a permanent magnet when they are within a strong magnetic field, but lose their magnetism when the magnetic field disappears.  Examples would be paperclips and nails and other soft iron items.

Electromagnets

An electromagnet is a tightly wound helical coil of wire, usually with an iron core, which acts like a permanent magnet when current is flowing in the wire.  The strength and polarity of the magnetic field created by the electromagnet are adjustable by changing the magnitude of the current flowing through the wire and by changing the direction of the current flow.

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