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Magnetism is a property of certain materials, usually metals, that have an electric dipole on the molecular scale. A dipole is a significant separation between the positive and negative charges in the molecule. Since electrons and protons have spin, and moving electrical charges generate megnetic fields, the dipole generates a net magnetic field. If enough dipoles are oriented in the same direction the body has a net magnetic field.

The dipoles can align when sitting in a permanent magnetic field for a long period of time, like underground in the earth's magnetic field.

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