Magnetism is a force of attraction or repulsion between various substances. IT is created due to the motion of electrons. The term 'magnetism' is derived from Magnesia, the name of a region in Asia Minor where lodestone, a naturally magnetic ore, was found in ancient times. The only other mineral found naturally magnetized is pyrrhotite, and it has weak magnetic properties.

A magnet is a material or an object that exhibits magnetic properties and produces an invisible magnetic field around it. Every magnet has two points, or poles, where most of its strength is concentrated; these are designated as a north-seeking pole, or north pole, and a south-seeking pole, or south pole. The like poles of different magnets repel each other, while the unlike poles attract. The north pole of a magnet points roughly towards the Earth's the North Pole and the south towards the South Pole. If a bar magnet is cut half, you ger two brand new, smaller magnets, each with its own north and south poles.

Lodestone and Iron are materials that are magnetic. These materials strongly attract others even when they are not electrically charged. They are also called ferromagnetic and have persistent magnetic fields. That is the strongest and most familiar type of magnetism. However, all materials are influenced varyingly by the presence of a magnetic field - some at such low levels that they are almost undetectable. Iron is easily magnetized when placed in a magnetic field. Some other materials like nickel, steel, and cobalt also exhibit magnetic properties, when cooled to a liquid state. Compared to other substances, ferromagnetic materials are magnetized easily.

Substances that are hardly affected by magnetic fields or not attracted to magnets are known as non-magnetic substances. They include copper, aluminium, gases, and plastic. Some substances show magnetic properties that occur only in the presence of external magnetic fields in the vicinity. This induced magnetic field is parallel and proportional to the intensity of the magnetizing field but is much weaker than in ferromagnetic materials. These are called paramagnetic materials and they have a relative magnetic permeability. A few materials, such as bismuth and antimony, exhibit the property which causes them to create a magnetic field in opposition to an external magnetic field; these materials are called diamagnetic.

A magnet always aligns itself to the Earth's north-south line, because Earth itself contains magnetic materials and behaves like a gigantic magnet material and behaves like a gigantic magnet. Liquid iron inside the Earth's core creates (and sometimes changes) the Earth's magnetism. As the Earth spins, the iron in its core generates a magnetic field that prevents the solar wind from hitting attracts everything towards the centre - this phenomenon is called gravity. The Earth's magnetic field reaches 36,000 miles into space and is surrounded by a region called the magnetosphere.

Magnetism is linked to electricity, and together they make up the force called electromagnetism. An electromagnet is a temporary magnet, whose magnetism is produced by the flow of an electric current. The magnetic field disappears when the current ceases to flow. An electromagnet can be created by coiling wire around an iron core (such as an iron nail). When an electric current is passed through the coil of a wire, the nail becomes a magnet. When the source of the electric current is switched off, the magnetism ceases to exit. An electric motor is an application of electromagnets.