Let's find out about magnets and magnetic force!
Watch and learn
Watch this video to find out about what magnets are and what magnetism does.
Video
How does magnetism work? Watch and find out.
Wow! That’s some impressive magic. Hang on, it looks like someone had a magnet in their wand.
Title: Magnetism
Magnetism is a force we can’t see. Something is magnetic if it can pull another magnetic object towards it. Just like these fridge magnets.
A magnet attracts or repels things made from certain metals – even before they actually touch.
When a magnet attracts, it pulls another object towards it. When a magnet repels, it pushes another magnet away.
A magnet has opposite ends called a north pole and a south pole. Between the poles is a magnetic force that we can’t see. This is a non-contact force. The area around the magnet that is affected by this force is called a magnetic field.
These tiny bits of iron make the invisible visible. The metal pieces follow the shape of the magnetic field.
If you could see a magnetic field, this is what it would look like.
Opposite magnetic poles are attracted to each other. This means the north pole of the magnet pulls towards the south pole of another magnet. Two of the same poles will repel.
We use magnets everyday on many things, from the toys you play with, to the things you might find at home, to really big magnets in this scrap metal yard.
Not every metal is attracted to a magnet.
If you have a magnet, try seeing what objects it will attract or repel.
What is a magnet?
A magnet is an object that can pull some types of metal towards it.
Magnets are made from magnetic metals such as iron, nickel, and cobalt.
Magnets come in all shapes and sizes – you might have seen some of these in your school:
Magnetism
The force from a magnet that attracts or repels an object is called Check your connection, refresh the page and try again..
Magnetism works over distance so the magnet doesn’t have to be touching the other object.
Magnets have an area around them called a Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.. They can do things to other objects in this magnetic field. They can:
- Pull other objects towards them (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.)
- Push other objects away from them (Check your connection, refresh the page and try again.)
You can see a magnet's magnetic field by scattering tiny iron filings around it.
The iron filings form a pattern that reveals the lines of the magnetic field. The closer together the lines are, the stronger the magnetic force.
Can you see the magnetic force is strongest at the opposite ends of the magnet?
The poles of a magnet
A magnet has two poles:
- a north pole
- a south pole
Magnets are made from magnetic metals such as iron, nickel, and cobalt.
Attracting
The north pole of a magnet will always attract the south pole of another magnet.
Repelling
Two poles of the same type will repel each other.
So:
- Two north poles together will repel each other.
- Two south poles together will repel each other.
Our magnetic Earth
Our Earth is like a massive magnet with a north and south pole.
We can use a compass to tell us what direction we are facing.
A compass works by using a balanced magnet called a needle. One end is marked N, for north, and the other end is marked S for south.
The north end of the compass always points to the magnetic north of the Earth.
Magnets in everyday life
Magnets have lots of uses in our everyday life:
Image caption, Fridge doors
Magnets in the seal around fridge doors hold them tightly closed.
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Activity
Learn how to preform an experiment with magnets!
You will need:
- A small magnet
- A selection of objects to test:
- A wooden spoon
- A plastic toy
- Metal screws or nails
- Coins
- Paper clips
Can you predict which objects will be attracted to the magnet?Test the objects and place them in magnetic and non-magnetic groups.
Watch the video to find out more.
Video
Watch this video to find out what to do!
Quiz
Think you understand magnets? Test yourself in our friendly quiz!
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