how do magnets attract things like iron from a distance, without using energy?

Question

I’ve read somewhere that magnets dont do work so they dont use energy, but then how come they can move metallic objects? where is that coming from?

In: Physics

Answer 1

TLDR: [In classical physics](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHG7qVNvR7w), there isn’t really a way to explain how magnets do work (i.e. exert a force to move stuff.) It takes quantum physics, specifically spin, to describe how magnets exert force.