When Like Magnetic Poles Attract: Experimental Investigation and ANSYS Maxwell Simulations

The first observations and findings about magnets and the magnetic field date back centuries. In the past hundreds of years, many scientists have carried out several studies and experiments to explain and formulate the relationship between electricity and magnetic field, as well as to understand the magnetic field and its characteristics. As a result of these studies, many devices that are used in daily life have been produced. Nowadays, strong magnets are readily available to students and teachers, which has increased their popularity in educational activities and experiments. Also, the little games played with magnets have allowed further exploration of their properties. In this study, the interaction between two cylindrical magnets with different dimensions has been analyzed using the ANSYS Maxwell program, based on an observation that can be called an experiment. It is thought that the results of this analysis will be useful in teaching the magnetic field characteristics (especially the poles) of magnets and the force that magnets apply to each other. In addition, it is thought that the experiment carried out in this study can be used to attract attention in science fairs and the magnetism unit of physics lessons. Furthermore, the underlying physical mechanism responsible for the attractive interaction between identical magnets has been interpreted in terms of P c (permeance coefficient) localized demagnetization (LD) and magnetic flux distributions. It is considered that these explanations may contribute to a more conceptual understanding of magnetism in physics education and may also serve as an effective demonstration material for classroom activities and science fairs.