This thread originates from within 'usenet', and as such the content and users are not guaranteed to have been moderated by our community. Don Phillipson:[nq:1]I'm watching the Simpsons. Bart says Eat my shorts a lot and I know it's some kind of insult. But I'm just wondering what SHORT means in this sentence.
Materials that can be magnetized, which are also the ones that are strongly attracted to a magnet, are called ferromagnetic (or ferrimagnetic). These include iron, nickel, cobalt, some alloys of rare earth metals, and some naturally occurring minerals such as lodestone.
A permanent magnet is an object made from a material that is magnetized and creates its own persistent magnetic field. An everyday example is a refrigerator magnet used to hold notes on a refrigerator door. horseshoe magnet made of alnico, an iron alloy. The magnet, made in the shape of a horseshoe, has the two magnetic poles close together. This shape creates a strong magnetic field between the poles, allowing the magnet to pick up a heavy piece of iron.