Context: A magnet is an object that attracts certain materials such as iron. Youre probably familiar with common bar magnets, like the one in Figure 24.2. Like all magnets, this bar magnet has north and south poles and attracts objects such as paper clips that contain iron. All magnets have two magnetic poles. The poles are regions where the magnet is strongest. The poles are called north and south because they always line up with Earths north-south axis if the magnet is allowed to move freely. (Earths axis is the imaginary line around which the planet rotates.) What do you suppose would happen if you cut the bar magnet in Figure 24.2 in half along the line between the north and south poles? Both halves would also have north and south poles. If you cut each of the halves in half, all those pieces would have north and south poles as well. Pieces of a magnet always have both north and south poles no matter how many times you cut the magnet. The force that a magnet exerts on certain materials is called magnetic force. Like electric force, magnetic force is exerted over a distance and includes forces of attraction and repulsion. North and south poles of two magnets attract each other, while two north poles or two south poles repel each other. Like the electric field that surrounds a charged particle, a magnetic field surrounds a magnet. This is the area around the magnet where it exerts magnetic force. Figure 24.3 shows the magnetic field surrounding a bar magnet. Tiny bits of iron, called iron filings, were placed under a sheet of glass. When the magnet was placed on the glass, it attracted the iron filings. The pattern of the iron filings shows the lines of force that make up the magnetic field of the magnet. The concentration of iron filings near the poles indicates that these areas exert the strongest force. To see an animated magnetic field of a bar magnet, go to this URL: [Link] When two magnets are brought close together, their magnetic fields interact. You can see how in Figure 24.4. The drawings show how lines of force of north and south poles attract each other whereas those of two north poles repel each other. The animations at the URL below show how magnetic field lines change as two or more magnets move in relation to each other. You can take an animated quiz to check your understanding of magnetic field interactions at this URL: [Link] Magnetism is the ability of a material to be attracted by a magnet and to act as a magnet. No doubt youve handled refrigerator magnets like the ones in Figure 24.5. You probably know first-hand that they stick to a metal refrigerator but not to surfaces such as wooden doors and glass windows. Wood and glass arent attracted to a magnet, whereas the steel refrigerator is. Obviously, only certain materials respond to magnetic force. Magnetism is due to the movement of electrons within atoms of matter. When electrons spin around the nucleus of an atom, it causes the atom to become a tiny magnet, with north and south poles and a magnetic field. In most materials, the electrons orbiting the nuclei of the atoms are arranged in such a way that the materials have no magnetic properties. Also, in most types of matter, the north and south poles of atoms point in all different directions, so overall the matter is not magnetic. Examples of nonmagnetic materials include wood, glass, plastic, paper, copper, and aluminum. These materials are not attracted to magnets and cannot become magnets. In other materials, electrons fill the orbitals of the atoms that make up the material in a way to allow for each atom to have a tiny magnetic field, giving each atom a tiny north and south pole. There are large areas where the north and south poles of atoms are all lined up in the same direction. These areas are called magnetic domains. Generally, the magnetic domains point in different directions, so the material is still not magnetic. However, the material can be magnetized by placing it in a magnetic field. When this happens, all the magnetic domains become aligned, and the material becomes 
 Question: area around a magnet where it exerts force
Output: magnetic field