Magnets work because some electrons behave like tiny magnets, and in magnetic materials those tiny magnetic moments line up into domains that point the same way. When enough domains align, the material has a net magnetic field that can attract or repel other magnets.
That is also why not every metal is magnetic. In iron, nickel, cobalt, and similar ferromagnetic materials, electron spin and the crystal structure let those moments line up instead of canceling out. Heat can scramble that order at the Curie point, which is why a magnet weakens when it gets hot. A moving electric charge also creates a magnetic field, which is why electric currents can make electromagnets.
The useful mental model is that magnetism is organized electron behavior, not some separate force floating around by itself. A permanent magnet keeps those domains lined up after the current or manufacturing force is gone. An electromagnet only stays magnetic while current is flowing, which is why it can be switched on and off.
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