Answer to Question #101295 in Electricity and Magnetism for Joshua

Question

What must you have for an electromagnet to work that you don’t need for a regular magnet?

Answer 1

A magnet is made from a material that is magnetized and creates its own persistent magnetic field. This means that it always has a magnetic field and will display a magnetic behavior at all times.

An electromagnet is made from a coil of wire which acts as a magnet when an electric current passes through it. Often it is wrapped around a core of ferromagnetic material like steel, which enhances the magnetic field produced by the coil. It only displays magnetic properties when an electric current is applied to it. So, it loses its magnetic power every time an electric current is removed and becomes magnetic once again when the electric field is introduced.

The main difference of a magnet from an electromagnet is that a permanent magnet does not require a continuous supply of electrical energy to maintain its magnetic field.