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Poles of a magnet

A can exert a force on another nearby magnet. Magnets have two poles:

  • a
  • a

force is strongest near a magnet’s poles.

A bar magnet, with the north and south poles marked red and blue.

The rules of magnetism

Two magnets will either attract or repel each other in the following way:

  • like poles (N–N or S–S) repel
  • unlike poles (N–S or S–N) attract

Magnetic forces are – this means that magnets affect each other without touching.