Why do sharp ends of blades attract?

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  • Thread starter PhysicoRaj
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Good idea! But now I'm quite sure it's magnetism. The compass deflects.
 
PhysicoRaj said:
Good idea! But now I'm quite sure it's magnetism. The compass deflects.

To be certain, you would need to eliminate or change the magnetisation and see if the force alters.
 
Confirmed. I heated them to red hot, and now they are just steel blades. No magnetism.
Maybe they didn't show repulsion because the repelling end was blunt and B was not intense enough.
Thanks for all who helped me in understanding this.

BTW, Why do metals on heating show permanent colouration? like this:
Photograph of a steel blade resting on a wooden surface, with a metal object at the right edge; the blade shows a blue and purple heat tint from heating.
 
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