Magnets
Magnets work because moving electric charges, especially spinning electrons, make a magnetic field. In iron, nickel, and cobalt, little regions called domains can line up. Lined-up domains turn a chunk of metal into a magnet with a north pole and a south pole.
On this page: how magnets work, why only some metals stick, whether magnets fade, and how Earth acts like a magnet.
Read the answer below. In Giant, kids talk with characters and keep the adventure going.
Magnets
Electricity and magnetism are teammates. A spinning or flowing charge makes a magnetic field, an invisible push-and-pull around the magnet. In some metals, groups of atoms form domains. If enough domains point the same way, the whole piece acts like one magnet. Opposite poles attract. Like poles repel. The field is strongest near the poles and weaker farther away. Iron filings make the field visible as curved lines. The magnet is not magic glue. It is aligned motion inside the metal.
2
Poles (north and south)
3
Common magnetic metals
Iron
Why fridge doors stick
Core
Earth's magnet maker
A magnet grabs metals that can form magnetic domains, especially iron, nickel, and cobalt. Many steels have enough iron to stick. Aluminum cans, copper pennies, and gold rings usually do not. Those metals do not line up the same way. Stainless steel is a mixed bag. Some kinds stick. Some do not. The fridge door works because there is iron in the steel, not because the magnet likes the color.
Yes. Hard knocks, strong opposite fields, and high heat can scramble the domains. Then the magnet gets weaker. Sitting in a drawer does not usually kill a good fridge magnet. Keep strong magnets away from cards with magnetic stripes and from each other if you want them to stay fierce. They are sturdy, not immortal.
Earth has a magnetic field made by molten metal moving in the outer core. That field is why a compass needle points north. It also steers some space particles toward the poles and helps make auroras. Earth's magnetic poles are not exactly the same as the geographic poles, and they drift. Birds and some other animals can sense the field and use it on long trips.
In Giant
Kids talk with characters, create adventures, and discover how the world works.
Explore
