Question, wouldn't it be more efficient to use a cylindrical rod magnet (say, neodymium) instead of a soft steel rod as plunger for a solenoid magnet?
The way I understand it, current traveling through the solenoid creates a magnetic field, which in turn attracts inside the rod sitting on the outside. But wouldn't the force (and efficiency) be much greater if a rod magnet were used instead? That way both the solenoid's field and the magnet's would interact, instead of just the iron rod being magnetized by the solenoid's field alone.
The way I understand it, current traveling through the solenoid creates a magnetic field, which in turn attracts inside the rod sitting on the outside. But wouldn't the force (and efficiency) be much greater if a rod magnet were used instead? That way both the solenoid's field and the magnet's would interact, instead of just the iron rod being magnetized by the solenoid's field alone.