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Revision as of 02:22, 12 June 2003 by Trelvis (talk | contribs) (beef up astubby article some)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)A ferromagnet is a piece of ferromagnetic material, in which the microscopic magnetized regions, called domains, have been aligned by an external magnetic field (e.g. from another permanent magnet or an electromagnet) so that the piece itself is a permanent magnet.
The name derives from the Latin ferrum, meaning "iron" (the most well-known ferromagnetic material). Nickel] and Cobalt are the other common ferromagnetic elements.
There is a large amount of active research in an attempt to find new ferromagnetic materials, especially those which might be light weight, non-metallic and capable of remaining ferromagnetic at room temperature.
The Curie point is the temperature above which a ferromagnet loses its ferromagnetic ability to possess a net (spontaneous) magnetization in the absence of an external magnetic field.