Why do two magnets push each other away?

Picture two magnets, one in each hand, cool and smooth. You slide them slowly toward each other, closer and closer. Then suddenly they wiggle away. You can feel a soft push against your fingers, even though the magnets are not touching.

That push is a little surprising, isn't it? Magnets love to stick, like a magnet on the fridge door holding up your drawing. So why do two magnets push each other away?

Every magnet has two ends, one at each side. The two ends are different kinds, a bit like a left shoe and a right shoe. That difference matters when two magnets come close.

Each end reaches out with a pull or a push you cannot see. It works right through the air, like a gentle, invisible hand reaching across. So the magnets move before they even touch, all on their own.

When one end comes near the other kind of end, they pull together. Click! The two magnets snap and hold tight, like two friends holding hands. Now, what do you think happens when two ends of the same kind come close to each other?

They push each other away! Those are matching ends, which means two ends of the same kind. Two matching ends never pull toward each other, not even a tiny bit. Instead, they push apart.

When matching ends come close, they push back, like a bouncy spring. That push is what slid the magnets away from your fingers.

Now you know the secret of that push. Two magnets push apart because their matching ends send out a push you cannot see.

Back in your hands, the two magnets wiggle apart once more. That soft push against your fingers is no surprise now.