Around a typical bar magnet - or any magnetised object (like the Earth, for example) - there are lines of magnetic flux. These are said to flow away from the north pole and re-enter at the south pole.
These field lines become evident if iron filings are sprinkled over a sheet of paper underneath which there is a bar magnet. Their direction can be plotted using a small 'plotting compass'. The needle aligns with the N-S field (flux) lines and the needle follows the same pattern as revealed by the iron filings.
When two magnets are brought close to each other, the flux lines from both magnets interact. If these flux lines are flowing in the same direction, they will link up and the magnets will attract each other. If they are flowing in opposite directions, they will produce a repulsive force and push away from each other, (often taking the magnets with them!) The force between them depends on the separation distance and the flux density (magnetic strength) of the magnets used
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