How do magnets stick?

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentChip asked me how magnets stick. I explain things for a living, and somehow this is the question I got.

2. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorIs it glue? I've always assumed there's a very small amount of glue.

3. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentNo glue. A magnet has two ends, called north and south.

4. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentOpposite ends pull together. Matching ends push apart.

5. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSo when two of them shove each other, that's just a disagreement over who gets the fridge door.

6. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThey don't want anything. Per Wikipedia, every magnet has a north and a south pole, and opposite poles attract.

7. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentMagnets pull on some metals, like iron, but not on wood or plastic.

8. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSo wood just needs a stronger magnet.

9. 

   Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentInside a magnet, lots of tiny bits all point the same way. That's the whole trick.

10. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorOkay, serious question. If I cut a magnet in half, do I get a north and a south?

11. 

    Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentYes. You get two new magnets, each with its own north and south. You can never get just one end.

12. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSo every broken piece in my junk drawer is a whole magnet, and I've been throwing out the south for years.