– What makes a material magnetic (i.e. what gives it its magnetic domains?)
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An atom has a nucleus full of protons and neutrons, and a “cloud” of electrons floating around it.
All moving electrons create a magnetic field, but in almost all atoms the electrons are not arranged correctly and so the fields cancel each other out.
A magnetic material has a “free pair” of electrons which **can** be arranged in the necessary way.
Electrons are all tiny magnets, but in an atom most of the time they face different directions and cancel each other out
Atoms with aligned electrons are all tiny magnets, but in a substance most of the time they face different directions and cancel each other out
Metal grains with aligned atoms are all tiny magnets, but most of the time they face different directions and cancel each other out
If you align all three, they build on each other and become a magnet that affects things on the monkey level
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