how does magnets react to metal?

Answer 1

If you mean, "How does magnetism work?", then you will not get an answer. The magnet lines up the atoms in the metal so there is an attractive force between them. Draw a rectangle (your piece of metal) and then draw a smaller rectangle perpendicular to it (the magnet). Label the magnet with N and S poles. The magnet will induce magnetism in the metal. The pole nearest the metal will attract the opposite and repel the same, so at the surface of the metal, the opposite field is nearer the magnet.
But what exactly magnetism is, no one knows.