What exactly is magnetism on a particle level? I'm currently doing physics at school and we are doing a unit on electricity and magnetism. I can ACCEPT that a magnet has two poles and like poles repel and unlike poles attract. I can ACCEPT that a wire carrying current produces a magnetic field and I can accept that magnets can induce an electric current in a wire, but I don't actually KNOW what is going on. I am the kind of person that finds things like this hard to accept. It greatly enhances my knowledge and understanding of the topic to actually KNOW what is going on. I suppose this is why I found nuclear physics quite enjoyable; it answered a lot of questions I had and gave me a greater understanding of particles and how they interact in different circumstances. But magnets, jeez. I will tell you what I think I know now anyway, just to see if I actually already have some kind of understanding. So ferromagnetic materials (iron, nickel, cobalt) are magnetic yes? And this is because they have a certain atomic structure (it is to do with their electrons). So in a magnetic material there are mini magnets composed of dipoles everywhere (but I don't actually understand what these are, what they are composed of or how they align in the material). I know that if I put a wire carrying current near a ferromagnetic material it will become magnetised, and from what I know this is due to the poles re-aligning in the material so that the north poles in the material are attracted to the south poles of the field (I think). But, what I don't understand is what actually happens when something becomes magnetised? Are electrons being moved in the material? How does the magnetic field cause this action on the material (is it to do with electrons or charges)? What causes the attraction force between opposite poles of a magnet? Also, how does a material become permanently magnetised, unlike when you create a simple electromagnet using an iron nail and a AA battery? If anyone can help answer my questions and aid my understanding I would be very grateful (Note: I like to see things visually so if you have any diagrams they would be especially helpful). Thank you very much for your time!