This thread originates from within 'usenet', and as such the content and users are not guaranteed to have been moderated by our community. Don Phillipson:[nq:1]I'm watching the Simpsons. Bart says Eat my shorts a lot and I know it's some kind of insult. But I'm just wondering what SHORT means in this sentence.
Materials that can be magnetized, which are also the ones that are strongly attracted to a magnet, are called ferromagnetic (or ferrimagnetic). These include iron, nickel, cobalt, some alloys of rare earth metals, and some naturally occurring minerals such as lodestone.
Magnets are made by exposing ferromagnetic metals like iron and nickel to magnetic fields. When these metals are heated to a certain temperature, they become permanently magnetized. It's also possible to temporarily magnetize them by using a variety of methods you can try safely at home.