Magnetism and Permanent Magnets
Magnetism, in simplified terms, is the physical phenomenon by which certain materials are capable of attracting iron and even transmitting this property to other materials.
Although this brief definition is somewhat reductive, it already conveys the enormous potential of magnetism—much of which is still being explored.
A magnet is defined as a body that generates a specific magnetic field, which has the ability to move ferromagnetic materials and can either attract or repel one or more other magnets.
Permanent magnets are capable of exerting a force that acts at a distance between objects. This magnetic action is particularly strong in two geometrically opposite areas of the magnet, where the magnetic effect is most intense.
Between two magnets, attractive and repulsive forces are exerted, which allows us to identify two magnetic polarities.
Like polarities, when brought close together, repel each other;
Opposite polarities instead attract one another.
As a first approximation, the force of attraction or repulsion between two magnets is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
In a magnet, the polarities cannot be separated. There is no area inside a magnet where only north poles or only south poles exist.
If you split a magnet in two, each part will develop both polarities.
This division can be repeated again and again, but the fundamental magnetic properties remain unchanged.
