Why can't you push a magnet to make it move?
Why can't you push a magnet to make it move?
Imagine you're trying to push a magnet across a table. No matter how hard you push, it doesn't budge.
The magnet doesn't move because of a force called magnetism, which is different from the push you apply. Magnetism is a type of force that doesn't always respond to pushing.
Example
You push a magnet with a force of 5 newtons, but it doesn't move because the magnetic force holding it in place is stronger.
Remember this
The key insight is that not all forces respond to pushes in the same way; magnetism is a unique force that doesn't always change an object's motion.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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