What is Magnetism

Magnetism

T 'he power to attract or repel is all in a magnet's atoms. Electrons and protons are always in motion. Because any moving charge generates a magnetic field, each electron and proton has one. Usu- ally these fields are haphazard, but in materials such as iron, they tend to line up within specific regions called domains. When ferrous (iron- containing) rock is molten, all the domains align with Earth's own magnetic field; this is how natural magnets are formed.