Content Magnets have long been a fascinating topic to grown adults and children alike.
All magnets have two or more poles, each of which is either a north pole or a south pole.
The magnetic force exerted by the magnet is greatest at the poles. Magnetic forces are produced mainly by the movement of unpaired electrons within a magnetic material. These movements include rotation of the electron about its axis and revolution of the electron around the nucleus to which it is, perhaps temporarily, bound. When a piece of non-magnetic metal is placed against a magnet, enough of the electrons in the metal are compelled to change their motion to match the motion of the electrons in the magnet that the metal becomes weakly magnetized. Two pieces of metal placed against one pole of a magnet thus obtain the same magnetic polarity and repel one another .