• Question: Can two south poles touch on a Magnate? Same with north poles.

    Asked by rush521towy on 13 May 2025.
    • Photo: Alex Bainbridge

      Alex Bainbridge answered on 13 May 2025:

      They can touch each other, but they will still try to repel so will have to be constantly pushed together with enough force to keep them there.

    • Photo: Manuela Toth

      Manuela Toth answered on 30 Jun 2025:

      as per Alex’s answer

    • Photo: Charlotte Slade

      Charlotte Slade answered on 1 Jul 2025:

      That is a brilliant, brilliant question! It’s one of those things that seems simple, but when you really think about it, it gets right to the fun of physics.

      The short answer is: Yes, you can force them to touch, but they will fight you the entire way!

      Think of it like this. Imagine you have two toddlers, and both of them are absolutely determined to be first in line. As you try to push them closer together, face to face, what happens? They plant their feet and push back with all their might!

      Two north poles (or two south poles) act exactly the same way. There’s an invisible force field around them that gets stronger and stronger the closer you try to push them together. They are programmed by the laws of physics to repel each other.

      So, if you are strong enough to overcome that powerful pushing-away force, you can physically press them together. You’re basically winning a tiny game of tug-of-war against the force of magnetism.

      But the moment you stop pushing and let go? Boing! They will spring apart instantly. They never want to touch, you just managed to make them do it for a moment.

Comments