What scientific concept explains why magnets can have both attraction and repulsion?

The principles of magnetism elucidate why magnets can exhibit both attraction and repulsion. In magnetism, every magnet has two poles: a north pole and a south pole. When two magnets interact, they can do one of two things: if opposite poles (north and south) come together, they attract each other; if like poles (north and north or south and south) are brought close, they repel each other. This dual nature of magnets arises from the arrangement of magnetic domains within the material, where the directions of the magnetic fields can align or oppose each other.

Understanding the principles of magnetism also includes the concept of magnetic fields and how they interact with each other. These fields influence the forces between magnets, resulting in the characteristics of attraction and repulsion. In contrast, the other options do not pertain to the nature of magnet interactions in the same way. Electric circuits focus mainly on the flow of electric charge, the behavior of light waves pertains to optics, and the laws of motion describe the relationship between the motion of objects and the forces acting on them. None of these concepts directly relate to the unique behaviors that magnets exhibit due to their magnetic fields.