Why does a magnet attract an ordinary nail or paper clip but not a wooden pencil?

Electron orbits in iron and steel can be "reoriented" to align with the external magnetic field, creating magnetic polarity. It's called ferromagnetism. Once the orbits are realigned (which occurs instantaneously), the object is attracted to the opposite pole of the other magnet

A magnet attracts certain objects, such as nails or paper clips, because they are made of materials that exhibit magnetic properties. However, wooden pencils do not possess magnetic properties, so they are not attracted to magnets.

To understand why a magnet attracts certain objects but not others, it is essential to consider the properties of magnetic materials versus non-magnetic materials.

Magnetic materials, like iron, nickel, or steel, contain microscopic domains that align their magnetic fields in the presence of an external magnetic field. This alignment creates a force that attracts these materials to the magnet.

On the other hand, non-magnetic materials, like wood, do not have the same microscopic domains or magnetic fields. Therefore, they do not respond to a magnetic field and are not attracted to magnets.

To identify if an object is magnetic or not, you can conduct a simple test:

1. Bring the magnet close to the object and observe if there is any attraction or movement between them.
2. If the object is attracted to the magnet, it likely contains magnetic materials and possesses magnetic properties.
3. If there is no attraction or movement, it suggests that the object is not magnetic and does not respond to magnets.

In the case of a wooden pencil, you will observe that there is no attraction between the magnet and the pencil. This is because wood is a non-magnetic material, and it lacks the necessary magnetic properties to be attracted to magnets.