What Makes a ‘Magnet’ Different from a ‘Metal’?

A magnet is like a special kind of metal that can pull other metals toward it, while not all metals do this.

Imagine you have two toy cars, one is made of metal, and the other is a magnet. If you wave the magnet near the metal car, it will move toward the magnet, like it's being pulled by an invisible string. But if you wave another metal car near the first one, nothing happens, they just sit there.

That’s because a magnet has something extra inside it, tiny invisible "pushers" and "pullers" that make other metals move toward it or push them away. Some metals, like iron or steel, can even become magnets themselves if they’re close to a real one.

Not all metals are the same, some are like shy kids who don’t want to be pulled by anyone, while others are like happy kids who love being pulled toward the magnet.

So a magnet is just a metal with a special superpower, it can pull other metals without touching them!