Question

Why can a magnet act from a distance?

Answer 1

We are asked why a magnet can attract a particle from a distance and not by coming in contact with it. We can start by defining what magnets are and what force it has. We can see the type of force that it exerts on particles.

Complete answer:
A magnet is an object or a particle that is capable of producing a magnetic field. The force of a magnet is called magnetism. This can be in two ways; attractive force or repulsive force. These magnets pull or attract other ferromagnetic materials like iron, nickel, cobalt etc.

Forces are mainly classified into two:
Contact forces: A contact force, just as the name suggests is a one that needs contact to occur. Some examples of this include, frictional force, tension etc.
Non-contact forces: A non-contact force is the one that can act from a distance. Electrical and gravitational forces are few of the examples of non-contact force.

The magnetic force is a non-contact force; hence it is capable of acting from a distance.

Note: A non-contact force is a force which acts on an object or a particle without coming physically in contact with it. The most familiar example of a non-contact force is gravitational force, which confers weight. In contrast a contact force is a force applied to a body by another body that is in contact with it. A typical example of a contact force will be the force acting on the floor as we walk on it (that is, frictional force).