Iron is magnetically soft – it can be easily magnetised and demagnetised. Magnetic fields lines are invisible but they fill the space around a magnet where the magnetic forces work on magnetic ...

Magnets are also surrounded by a similar three-dimensional field ... the lines of magnetic force surrounding the magnet. The simplest generator consists of just a coil of wire and a bar magnet.

This means that their magnetism is there all the time and cannot be turned on or off as it can with an electromagnet. Converting a magnet to a non-magnet is called demagnetisation. Magnets are ...