Why do magnets attract iron?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Magnets align iron's domains
Magnets align iron's domains ✓ — Correct! Iron contains millions of tiny magnetic regions called domains. Normally they point randomly and cancel out. When a magnet comes near, it aligns these domains in the same direction, temporarily magnetizing the iron. The aligned domains create magnetic poles that attract to the magnet. Remove the magnet, and the domains may stay aligned (making iron magnetic) or randomize again!
Static electricity pulls them — Wrong. Magnetism and static electricity are different forces. Magnets work through magnetic fields that align the magnetic domains in iron, not through electrical charge.
Gravity is stronger in metals — Wrong. Gravity affects all matter equally and is far weaker than magnetism. Magnets attract iron through magnetic force by aligning iron's internal magnetic domains.
