Cartoon characters have often been portrayed using magnets.

At one point or another we have all witnessed the power of magnets. We have seen the classic cartoons where one character traps his foe with the aid of a horseshoe magnet. We have played with iron filings as we moved the magnetic-tipped stylus across the plastic surface to get Wooly Willy’s beard just so. Further, whether they are animals and fruit, token reminders of vacations past, or primary-colored alphabet letters, many of us routinely post lists or information on refrigerators using magnets.

Magnets, in one form or another, are in our computers, televisions, telephones, and speaker systems, but what makes these objects so fascinating are the various ways we can make use of the forces they exert.