Where You Would (Or Wouldn't!) Be Without Magnets

Magnets are present in many areas of everyday life. In fact, they are much more useful than you may realize. From charging your child's new school supplies to your credit card to the construction site you pass on the way home to the save the date custom magnets affixed to your fridge, different kinds of magnets work to assist in performing varying tasks that make your daily routine a lot easier. Read on to find out what small conveniences and vital luxuries would be changed entirely from the way you know them today, or maybe even non-existent, if magnets were not around to make them a reality.

There are permanent magnets, temporary magnets, and electromagnets. Permanent magnets create their own magnetic field and retain their magnetism. Temporary magnets take on the properties of permanent magnets when they are introduced to a magnetic field. Electromagnets are essentially a subcategory of temporary magnets because they need an electric current in order to be functional. Temporary magnets are used in telephones and electric motors, including the one in your car. Temporary magnetic properties also come in handy when picking up and organizing things like paper clips, nails, and screws.

Permanent magnets are the kind you see on your refrigerator. They have their own constant magnetic field. This is why they do not fall off of the refrigerator over time. So, those cute little decorative magnets, refrigerator picture frames, and grocery/to-do list and save the date custom magnets that make your fridge your own are held in place by permanent magnets.

Electromagnets take on some seriously impressive responsibilities. Using electricity to create an electromagnet's magnetic properties allows the user to manipulate the field, and thus the behavior of the magnet, in a way that other types of magnets do not offer. The ability to control the strength and duration of the field, as well as the ability to turn it off altogether, makes this type of magnet quite versatile and capable of handling tough jobs. Electromagnets are used throughout homes in computers, televisions, and other electronics. They are used in large cranes for moving very heavy objects on construction sites and for magnetic separation. They are even used in hospitals in MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machines and in many other scientific instruments.


The above mentioned are just a handful of examples of the vast utilizations of magnets. Hospitals and businesses depend on magnets to make medical procedures possible and to erect the very structure of their buildings, something as mundane as making a simple telephone call would be completely different without the use of magnets. Even such underappreciated items as save the date custom magnets and other cutesy little gadgets serve to make our lives ultimately easier, but they just would not be the same without a magnet.