Magnet strongly attract material ( like iron) which already themselves has magnetic domains the do not attract many material like gold, silver ,aluminium and even some type of high -chromium -stainless steel, which lack such domains. in fact pure gold is slightly repelled

Magnets and their Attraction

Magnets are objects that produce a magnetic field, which is a force that can attract or repel certain materials. However, not all materials are affected by magnets in the same way. While magnets have the ability to attract materials like iron, nickel, and cobalt, they do not attract materials like gold, silver, or copper. This is due to the differences in the atomic structure and magnetic properties of these materials.

Atomic Structure and Magnetism

The magnetic properties of a material are determined by its atomic structure. Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. In certain materials, the electrons are arranged in such a way that their magnetic fields align and create a strong magnetic force. These materials are known as ferromagnetic materials, and they are attracted to magnets. Iron, nickel, and cobalt are examples of ferromagnetic materials.

On the other hand, in materials like gold, silver, and copper, the electrons are arranged in a way that their magnetic fields do not align. This means that the individual magnetic fields cancel each other out, resulting in no net magnetic effect. Therefore, these materials are not attracted to magnets.

Paramagnetism and Diamagnetism

While gold, silver, and copper are not attracted to magnets, they do exhibit weak magnetic properties known as paramagnetism and diamagnetism.

Paramagnetic materials are weakly attracted to magnets due to the presence of unpaired electrons in their atomic structure. These unpaired electrons have a small magnetic field that aligns with an external magnetic field, resulting in a weak attraction.

Diamagnetic materials are weakly repelled by magnets due to the presence of paired electrons in their atomic structure. When exposed to a magnetic field, the paired electrons create small opposing magnetic fields, causing the material to be repelled.

Gold, silver, and copper are examples of diamagnetic materials because their paired electrons create opposing magnetic fields. Although they are not attracted to magnets, they do exhibit weak repulsion when exposed to a strong magnetic field.

In summary, magnets attract materials like iron, nickel, and cobalt due to their ferromagnetic properties. However, materials like gold, silver, and copper have different atomic structures that do not allow for magnetic alignment, resulting in no attraction to magnets. While they may exhibit weak magnetic properties of paramagnetism or diamagnetism, it is not enough to be attracted to a magnet.