At Apex Magnets, we hear our fair share of questions about magnets, including inquiries about their make, properties, capabilities, and effects. Many of the questions are about the validity of certain claims, so we decided to put together a blog post about five common magnet myths and why they aren’t true.
  1. All magnets are made out of the same material.
While all magnets are ferromagnetic–meaning they are made out of materials that can be magnetizedthey are not all made out of the same elements. Ferromagnetic elements include nickel, cobalt, iron, some rare earth metal alloys, including neodymium, and some naturally occurring minerals, such as lodestone. At Apex, we currently sell magnets made out of Neodymium, Samarium Cobalt, Ceramic/Ferrite, and Hematite.
  1. All metals are attracted to magnets. Similarly to the first magnet myth, not all metals are magnetic. The ferromagnetic materials that can be magnetized are the same materials attracted to magnets: cobalt, iron, nickel. Metals that aren’t attracted to magnets include aluminum, brass, copper, and zinc.
 
  1. Bigger magnets are stronger than smaller magnets.
Just because a magnet is bigger than another doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s stronger, but the size and shapethink “surface area”can have an influence on a magnet’s strength. To determine a magnet’s strength, you also need to take into account its “N rating,” which signifies its level of strength, and the magnetic material. Here are tips for determining magnet strength and the different things that can affect that strength, including temperature, water or moisture, or other magnets.
  1. Monopole magnets exist.
As we’ve discussed before in our blog, monopole magnetsthose with only one magnetic pole (either a north pole without a south pole or a south pole without a north pole)don’t exist. If you cut a magnet in half, you’ll actually end up with two separate magnets that both have a north and south pole.
  1. Magnets can damage your phone.
You most likely have heard that you aren’t supposed to put magnets close to your technological devices, including your phone. Historically, this was true because our data was originally stored magnetically using iron. Our smartphones, however, don’t use magnetic memory storage, so your data is safe. Magnets have actually been used for many technological upgrades for iPads and other Apple products, phone cases, and even phone mounts for your car. While our neodymium magnets won’t damage your phone or erase your memory, it can affect the compass reading for your GPS apps. Dispute Magnet Myths with Apex Magnets We’ve put together different experiments, demonstrations, blogs, and videos to help you test magnet myths and understand how magnetism works in everyday life. If you have any other magnetic myths you’d like us to cover, contact us today! To stay up-to-date on all things magnetism, sign up for our newsletter.