What does it mean to "attract" in a scientific context?

In a scientific context, to "attract" refers to the phenomenon of drawing closer or pulling together objects or particles due to forces, such as gravity or magnetism. This interaction occurs between elements that have attracting forces acting on them, leading to a decrease in the distance between them. For instance, gravity attracts objects with mass toward each other, which is evident in how the Earth attracts objects towards its center, keeping everything grounded. Similarly, magnets exhibit attractive properties by pulling ferromagnetic materials, like iron, toward themselves. Understanding attraction is fundamental in various scientific fields, including physics and chemistry, where it explains the behavior of molecules, celestial bodies, and charged particles.