how does electricity or magnet make iron / steel magnetic?
Iron and steel are both 'ferrous' materials . this means that they have particles which can be affected by a magnetic field. The particles tend to align themsleves with the magnetic 'flow' . kind of like leaving a boat tied to shore but in a current. Eventually, the bow will point upstream toward the flow (and the point to which it's tied!), while the stern points downstream. Once the particles get aligned, they tend to stay that way . thereby creating their own 'magnetic' effect. Some materials have more ferrous particles than others, which is why some are easier to magnetize than others! By the way - electrons are not 'magnetic' particles. They are subatomic particles that carry an overall negative electrical charge. Electrons don't get influenced by magnetic fields.
