what would happen if you put it you put a small steel ball at the neutral point?
Answers
Explanation:
An unmagnetised object will feel an attraction due to the gradient of a magnetic field - not its strength. All that is needed then is a piece of unmagnetised material that causes the gradient to point away from the magnet - the field lines need to be closer together further from the magnet.
This diagram may This diagram may help explain:This diagram may help explain:

As you can see, the field lines are closer together near the face of the piece of iron - and that means the direction of the attractive force on the unmagnetized steel ball is towards the piece of iron.
As you can see, the field lines are closer together near the face of the piece of iron - and that means the direction of the attractive force on the unmagnetized steel ball is towards the piece of iron.