In its normal state, aluminum is paramagnetic. That means it does not have permanent magnetic domains like iron, cobalt, or nickel. Its atoms do respond weakly to an external magnetic field, but the effect is tiny and disappears as soon as the field is removed. So why does aluminum behave like a magnet inside an electric motor? The key is moving charges. When aluminum moves through a magnetic field — or when a magnetic field changes around it — electric currents are induced inside the metal. This is Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction. Because aluminum is a good electrical conductor, those induced currents (called eddy currents) flow easily. Those currents create their own magnetic field. And according to Lenz’s law, that induced field opposes the change that created it. That’s when aluminum starts to act “magnetic.” In an induction motor: • The stator creates a rotating magnetic field • The aluminum rotor sits inside that changing field • The changing field induces curre...