This article appeared in the Dominion Post Newspaper on February 14, 2001. Return to the listing of articles of February 14, 2001.
Magnetism is the property of an object being able to attract another object.
The two substances that attract must be magnetic. Every natural magnet has both a north pole and south pole while the area around the magnet is its magnetic field. Two magnets attract when the north pole of one magnet is beside the south pole of another magnet, or vice-versa. If a north pole of one magnet is placed next to another magnet's north pole, they repel each other. The History of Magnetism 1.