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

Potential energy, similar to gravity. If you lift a ball from the floor, you do work to separate the ball from the lower energy state (e.g. being closer to Earth’s gravitational center). When you drop it, that energy is converted to kinetic energy.

Same goes from magnets.