Eli5 do permanent magnets lose charge with use like a battery?

Question

Like in a dc dynamo where permanent magnets are used, do they eventually get demagnetized?
Or is magnetism like gravity, and never gets drained?

In: Physics

Answer 1

The magnet is not actually doing any work. It’s just getting pushed on, similarly to gravity or to a table holding a weight. The energy comes from the dynamo shaft pushing, and the magnet sort of acts like a magic lever converting that force on the shaft to a force on electrons instead.

Now, that said, magnets *do* wear out and lose magnetism. Sometimes over the span of seconds, other times over the span of centuries.