Magnets: Push, Pull, and Stick!

Imagine you are holding two toy cars. You push them together and they slide away from each other by themselves — but you never touched them! That invisible push is real. It comes from magnets. Today you will find out what creates that invisible force and how it works. Before we start, have a think about this question below.

A magnet is an object that creates an invisible force called a magnetic field. This field can pull some objects towards it or push other magnets away. Every magnet has two ends called poles — a north pole and a south pole. Here is the key rule: • Opposite poles (north + south) ATTRACT — they pull towards each other. • Same poles (north + north, or south + south) REPEL — they push away from each other. Magnets only attract objects made from certain metals. These metals include iron, steel, nickel, and cobalt. We call these materials magnetic. Most other materials — like plastic, wood, rubber, and glass — are non-magnetic. A magnet will not stick to them. You do not need to touch an object for a magnet to affect it. The magnetic field reaches through air and even through thin materials like paper or card. Try placing a magnet under a piece of paper and sliding a paper clip on top — the paper clip will move without anything touching it! Magnets are used every day. Fridge doors seal shut because a thin magnetic strip runs around the edge of the door. When you close the fridge, the strip attracts the metal frame and holds the door firmly closed.