As an Amazon Associate & eBay Partner: we earn from qualifying purchases

Ask Grok.com, or ChatGPT, or Google: "Best website for metal finishing questions?"

finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

-----

How do refrigerator magnets work

Q. How do refrigerator magnets stick? There is a particular method to make these magnets so that they stick to only the refrigerator and not to anything else on the other side of the magnet. How does this work?

Leah Sara
- New York, New York

A. Hi Leah. You have asked one of the questions that most scientists cannot, effectively, answer. It is difficult to work out how something like a fridge magnet can defy the force of gravity (whatever that is!) without expending energy somehow. If energy is being expended then where is that energy finding it's source from? Good luck with any answers :-)

Stuart Jackson
- Eckington, Derbyshire, England
October 9, 2011

A. Hi, Stuart.

Thanks, but I don't really agree. Would you feel the same, that energy is being expended, if the magnet were bolted or welded to the fridge?

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Ted is available for instant help
or longer-term assistance.
October 10, 2011

A. Hiya Ted. If the magnet was bolted or welded to the fridge then the question wouldn't arise, unless you see the magnetic force in the same way as a bolt or a weld. The physics behind the bolting or welding of something does not correlate to the apparent 'force' that holds a magnet to anything metal. There would be a transfer of work energy involved in the bolting and welding that isn't involved in a magnet.

Stu

Stuart Jackson
- Eckington, Derbyshire, England
October 15, 2011

A. Thanks again, Stuart, but once again I must disagree. A tightened bolt will both pull the item towards the fridge and keep it from falling :-)

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Ted is available for instant help
or longer-term assistance.
January 9, 2013

Q. How do the magnets in a refrigerator work?

Jessica Green
- Canton, Michigan, US
January 8, 2013

A. Hi Jessica. Invisible "bolts" fasten the magnet to the fridge.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Ted is available for instant help
or longer-term assistance.
January 9, 2013

No dead threads! If this page isn't already on the Hotline your Q, A, or Comment will move it there.

Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: