How Does a Rare Earth Magnet Work?
A rare-earth magnet is a particularly strong magnet that must contain materials such as iron, cobalt, and nickel. These are the only elements available that are ferromagnetic at room temperatures. Ferromagnetism is one of the strongest types, as opposed to forms such as diamagnetism and paramagnetism. It involves forces created by the movement of electrons within atoms with magnetic moments in the electrons originating from the orbital motion of the electron and the electron’s spin on its own axis. In the ferromagnetic properties of rare-earth magnets, the crystal structure of the materials cause the magnet to be much stronger than ordinary magnets. High-quality rare-earth magnets can have an attraction that is 1,000 times the weight of the magnet itself. The range in quality, though, depends on how the magnet is manufactured. These types of magnets are mainly derived from ceramic, alnico, neodymium and samarium cobalt. One of the strongest ones is nickel-plated neodymium magnets, smal
