Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a vector field that describes the magnetic influence of electrical currents and magnetized materials. In everyday life, the effects of magnetic fields are often seen in permanent magnets, which pull on magnetic materials (such as iron) and attract or repel other magnets. Magnetic fields surround and are created by magnetized material and by moving electric charges (electric currents) such as those used in electromagnets. Magnetic fields exert forces on nearby moving electrical charges and torques on nearby magnets. In addition, a magnetic field that varies with location exerts a force on magnetic materials. Both the strength and direction of a magnetic field varies with location. As such, it is an example of a vector field.
Magnet keeper
A magnet can be considered as the sum of many little magnetic domains, which may only be a few microns or smaller in size. Each domain carries its own small magnetic field, which can point in any direction. When all the domains are pointing in the same direction, the fields add up, yielding a strong magnet. When these all point in random directions, they cancel each other, and the net magnetic field is zero.