The poles of a magnet are the places where the magnetic forces are strongest. When two magnets are brought close together, they exert a force on each other without touching. This makes magnetic attraction and repulsion examples of a non-contact force.
Two like poles repel each other, for example north and north. Two unlike poles attract each other, for example north and south, so the magnets move towards each other.
A permanent magnet always has its own magnetic field. An induced magnet is a material, such as iron, that becomes a magnet only while it is in a magnetic field. Induced magnetism always causes a force of attraction. When the induced magnet is removed from the field, it loses most or all of its magnetism quickly.
