Magnets are a kind of magic push and pull — they work without even touching. Every magnet has two ends called poles: a North (N) and a South (S). The famous rule:

opposite poles attract (pull together) · same poles repel (push apart).

Like gravity, a magnet can reach across a gap and tug on things without holding them — and the closer they get, the stronger the force.

Flip the facing poles and watch the arrows change direction. Then close the gap: see the arrows grow as the magnets get nearer — a magnet's pull (or push) gets stronger the closer it is.