What is the region around a magnet that attracts iron or steel called?

The region around a magnet that attracts iron or steel is known as the magnetic field. The magnetic field is an invisible force that surrounds a magnet and is responsible for attracting ferromagnetic materials, such as iron and steel. This field is created by the magnetic properties of the material, which can be visualized as lines of force that radiate outward from the magnet.

Understanding the magnetic field is essential in applications that involve magnetic materials and devices, as it describes how the magnet interacts with its environment and affects nearby objects. This includes phenomena such as magnetic attraction, repulsion, and the influence on charged particles.

The other options relate to different concepts in physics or electrical engineering. Maxwell refers to James Clerk Maxwell, renowned for formulating the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation. Retentivity is a property of magnetic materials related to how well they can retain magnetization after the external magnetic field is removed. Alternating current, on the other hand, describes a type of electrical current that reverses direction periodically and is not directly related to magnetism in the context of a static magnetic field around a magnet.