What happens to the magnetic fields when you have two magnets near each other? Imagine spreading out iron filings on a piece of paper and laying two strong magnets on top of the filings. How the filings line up will depend on the poles of the magnets and the principles of attraction and repulsion.
Look at the diagram of the two magnets that are lined up with the north poles facing each other. Note how some of the iron filings are attracted to the ends of each magnet. But note also how the iron filings located between the two magnets repel each other. This is because “like” repels “like.” Remember that the iron filings become little induced magnets and their atoms take on the orientation of the bigger, stronger magnet. In this example, all the iron filings near the magnets’ north poles become north-oriented, and the filings around each magnet are repelled by the filings from the other.
In this diagram, the two magnets are lined up so the north pole of one is facing the south pole of the other. Note the lines of magnetic force between the two magnets show how opposites attract.
