Advanced Intermediate Beginner Home English Spanish

Material which is magnetic

There are a few materials which are naturally magnetic, and have the potential to be turned into magnets. Some of these materials are

A magnet can be made to stick to objects which contain magnetic material such as iron, even if they are not magnets. But a magnet cannot be made to stick to materials which are plastic, or cotton, or any other material, such as silicate rock, which is not magnetic.

Just because a material contains iron or some other magnetic material, however, it may not be a magnet. It takes special conditions to turn magnetic material into magnets. That is because a magnet is an object from which the force of magnetism originates.


More on Magnetism


Credits Settings Sponsorship Membership Contact us About the site Site map Help Myths People News Arts, books and film Images and multimedia Tours Life Geology Physics Space weather Space Missions Solar system Astronomy and the Universe Shop for science stuff Games Ask a scientist Journal Comets Dwarfs Neptune Uranus Saturn Jupiter Asteroids Mars Earth Venus Mercury Sun Teacher resources Kids Space Search Home



Last modified March 20, 1997 by the Windows Team

The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer