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Invisible reach

How Do Magnets Work?

Billions of tiny magnets inside the metal, all lined up and pointing the same way.

One magnet Billions of tinymagnets, all aligned
Magnetism is not added. It is organised.

  1. Step 1 of 5

    Every atom is already a tiny magnet.

    A piece of iron Every atom is a tinymagnet

    Electrons spinning inside atoms create a minuscule magnetic field. In iron, each atom is a needle-sized magnet all by itself.

  2. Step 2 of 5

    Usually they point every which way.

    Unmagnetised iron Atoms point randomly —pulls cancelA magnet Atoms all point one way— pulls add up

    In ordinary iron the atomic magnets face random directions, so their pulls cancel out and the metal seems unmagnetic.

  3. Step 3 of 5

    Line them up and the pull becomes real.

    1 Random2 Stroke with amagnet3 Aligned — nowmagnetic

    Stroke iron repeatedly with a magnet and you nudge the atoms into agreement. Billions of tiny pulls in the same direction make one usable force.

  4. Step 4 of 5

    Every magnet has two ends.

    North to south They snap togetherNorth to north They shove apart

    The aligned atoms give the magnet a north end and a south end. Opposite ends attract; matching ends push apart, hard.

  5. Step 5 of 5

    You cannot make a single-ended magnet.

    1 One magnet2−Cut it in half3 Two magnets,each with twoends

    Cut a magnet in half and you do not get a north piece and a south piece. You get two smaller magnets, each with both ends. Every fragment does this.

    Heat or a hard knock can shake the atoms out of alignment. That is how a magnet loses its power.

The short version

A magnet is metal whose atoms have been persuaded to all point the same way.

Try it yourself

Stroke a steel needle 40 times in one direction with a fridge magnet, then float it on a leaf in water. It will turn to point north.

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