The coercive force of a soft iron electromagnetic core would be the ___________ coercive force of a permanent magnet.

The coercive force of a magnetic material refers to the resistance of that material to becoming demagnetized. It essentially measures how much external magnetic field needs to be applied to reduce the magnetization of the material to zero.

For soft iron, which is commonly used in electromagnetic devices, the coercive force is relatively low. This characteristic allows soft iron to easily gain and lose its magnetization, making it ideal for applications where the magnetic field needs to be rapidly changed, such as in electromagnets.

In contrast, permanent magnets are designed to maintain their magnetization over time, resulting in a much higher coercive force. This means that once they are magnetized, they require a significant amount of external energy to demagnetize or alter their magnetic properties.

Thus, it is accurate to say that the coercive force of soft iron (when used as an electromagnetic core) is less than that of a permanent magnet due to the inherent properties of the materials involved and their intended applications in magnetic systems.