How do magnets work?

[Talon]

Quote:A magnet is any object that has a magnetic field. It attracts ferrous objects like pieces of iron, steel, nickel and cobalt. In the early days, the Greeks observed that the naturally occurring 'lodestone' attracted iron pieces. From that day onwards began the journey into the discovery of magnets.

These days magnets are made artificially in various shapes and sizes depending on their use. One of the most common magnets - the bar magnet - is a long, rectangular bar of uniform cross-section that attracts pieces of ferrous objects. The magnetic compass needle is also commonly used. The compass needle is a tiny magnet which is free to move horizontally on a pivot. One end of the compass needle points in the North direction and the other end points in the South direction.

The end of a freely pivoted magnet will always point in the North-South direction.

The end that points in the North is called the North Pole of the magnet and the end that points South is called the South Pole of the magnet. It has been proven by experiments that like magnetic poles repel each other whereas unlike poles attract each other. Correctly matched poles create the tight magnetic attraction that is commonly understood.

- How Magnets Work

Long and the short of it? Science. Now grab your portal guns and let the testing begin; there will be cake and companion cubes for everyone who participates.

[Ponies]

TL;DR I'm just gonna listen to you when you say science.

[Seeth]

tl;dr

[Austin]

The weighted companion cube might stab us, though.

[Sickness]

[Seeth]

[Sickness]

Fucking Penn and Teller, how do they work!?

[MagicalPegacorn]

(12-04-2011 03:13 AM)Austin Wrote:  The weighted companion cube might stab us, though.

But the weighted companion cube can't talk and will not threaten to stab you.

[Talon]

(12-04-2011 03:13 AM)Austin Wrote:  The weighted companion cube might stab us, though.

The Enrichment Center would like to remind you that the Weighted Companion Cube will never threaten to stab you. Thank you for your concern. On behalf of Aperture Science, we would like to gift to you this freshly baked cake.

[Seeth]

There's a pony in the cake.