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magnet
An object that produces a magnetic field, an area around the magnet in which other magnetizable objects experience a force. Lodestones, which contain the ore magnetite and are naturally magnetic, were used as early magnets, and strong magnetic materials were later recognized as containing iron, cobalt, or nickel.
A typical permanent magnet is a straight or horseshoe-shaped magnetized iron bar with the ends called the north and south magnetic poles. The Earth is a giant magnet, its magnetic lines of force being detectable at all latitudes.
An electromagnet is much stronger than a permanent one and can be used for raising heavy steel weights and scrap. A superconducting magnet, the strongest of all, is made from special alloys cooled to very low temperatures.
Related category
• ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
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