So. Heavy iron thing wants to fall to the ground, but magnet keeps it up against gravity… How can this happen seemingly against entropy? Without input of energy?
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Your answer is pretty much in your question.
> So. Heavy iron thing wants to fall to the ground ~~, but magnet keeps it up against gravity…~~ How can this happen seemingly against entropy? Without input of energy?
Things will move to states where potential energy is minimized. That’s why gravity pulls things down. It’s the same reason why magnets pull things up, away from gravity. As long as the magnetic field is present, and stronger than the force of gravity, the lowest possible energy state is up close to the magnet, not down close to the ground.
If you’re using an electromagnet, then there *is* an input of energy going on here. The electromagnet heats up, and requires a source of electric current to maintain its pull. But if it’s a permanent magnet, the heavy iron thing will just “fall” up towards the magnet and stay there.
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