Magnet Mastery
Poles, forces and fields: learn why like poles repel, tell a permanent magnet from an induced one, name the magnetic materials, and read the field lines around a bar magnet.
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Magnet Mastery 🧲
Every magnet has two **poles** — a **north** and a **south** — and they exert a **non-contact** force on each other and on magnetic materials. Master four things — poles, permanent vs induced, magnetic materials, and field lines — and magnetism is yours.
Poles attract and repel 🔴
The rule for two magnets is short: • **Like** poles (N–N or S–S) **repel** — they push apart. • **Unlike** poles (N–S) **attract** — they pull together. This force acts **without touching** (a non-contact force) and gets stronger as the magnets get closer.
Which way is the force?
The NORTH poles of two magnets are brought close together. What happens?
- They repel — the poles push apart
- They attract and pull together
- Nothing happens
- They stick together permanently
Label the magnet
An interactive activity.
Permanent and induced magnets ⚙️
A **permanent** magnet (like a bar magnet) produces its **own** magnetic field all the time. An **induced** magnet becomes magnetic **only when placed in a magnetic field**, and loses most or all of its magnetism when removed. Induced magnetism always causes **attraction** — never repulsion.
Match each term to its meaning
- Permanent magnet
- Induced magnet
- Like poles
- Unlike poles
- Produces its own magnetic field all the time
- Magnetic only while in a field, then loses it
- Repel each other
- Attract each other
Magnetic materials ⛓️
Only a few materials are **magnetic** (attracted to a magnet and able to be magnetised): **iron, steel, cobalt and nickel** (and their alloys). Most materials — plastic, wood, copper, aluminium — are **not** magnetic. Steel is used for permanent magnets because it keeps its magnetism.
Which are magnetic?
Pick the TWO magnetic materials.
- Iron
- Steel
- Plastic
- Copper
Magnetic field lines 📐
A **magnetic field** is the region where a magnetic material feels a force. We draw it with **field lines**: • They run from **north to south** on the **outside** of the magnet. • Where the lines are **closer together**, the field is **stronger** — so the field is strongest at the **poles**.
Where is the field strongest?
An interactive activity.
The induced-magnet rule
A piece of unmagnetised iron is brought near a strong magnet, becoming an induced magnet. What force does it feel?
- Attraction — an induced magnet is always attracted
- Repulsion
- Sometimes attraction, sometimes repulsion
- No force at all
The magnet rules
Like poles _____ and unlike poles attract. A permanent magnet produces its own field, but an _____ magnet is only magnetic while in a field. Magnetic field lines run from north to _____ outside the magnet.