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| Magnets seem to have invisible powers. Have you ever wondered how a compass works? Or how magnets stick to your refrigerator to hold up your artwork? |
| The invisible powers of magnets seem to be magic, but after years of scientific study we know a lot more about how magnets work. Scientists define a magnet as an object that will attract (pull toward) anything made of iron or steel. |
| Every magnet has a north and south pole, just like the earth. Opposite poles attract - so the north pole attracts the south pole and the south pole attracts the north pole. Like poles will repel (push away from) each other - so if you place two north poles together or two south poles together they will push each other away. A magnet's strength is strongest at the poles and weakest in the middle.. |
| The space around a magnet is called a magnetic field. It is this invisible area where the force of a magnet can be felt, and where that magic seems to happen. For example, the closer you bring a paper clip to a magnet, the more you will feel the pull of the magnetic field. |
| Again the force, the push or pull, of a magnet is strongest at its ends - also called the north and south poles. |
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