

In some materials (permanent magnets) the domains can all be lined up so you get really big magnetic forces. In each domain, most of the electrons pull and push together, so you can get big forces. In some materials, the electrons can lower their energy by lining up magnetically into magnetic domains. Most materials feel very little magnetic force because their electrons act like magnets that are pointing every which way, more or less equal numbers pulling or pushing. Most importantly, it depends on what is going on with the electrons in the material, since each electron is like a tiny magnet itself. Magnetism can either pull the two objects together or push them apart, depending on which way the magnets point. Unlike gravity, which occurs between any objects, magnetism depends on specific properties of objects. The reason it seems like gravity only pulls you towards the earth is because the earth is so big that the pull from you on it isn't enough to do much to its motion. No matter what they are made of, both objects get pulled towards each other just because they have mass. Gravity is a force that acts between any two objects with mass. In fact, they are completely separate forces. Gravity and magnetism are not the same thing. Since your questions are roughly the same, I'll answer them both at once.
