Magnetism is a force all around us.
It cannot be seen but the way it acts can be seen. Magnets
exert a force of attraction on anything made of iron. Anything made
of iron will be attracted to a magnet. A magnet will not attract
things that are not made of, or do not contain iron.
N
S
Look at the magnet above. It is called a bar
magnet. It has two ends. The end labeled N means north.
The end labeled S means south. These two ends are the magnetic
poles. The force of a magnet is strongest at the
poles. If you tie a string to the middle of a bar magnet, the north
end will point north and the south end will point south.
The earth is like a giant magnet! The magnetic
fields surrounding earth are near the North Pole and the South Pole.
That is why the poles or ends of a bar magnet are called north and south.
Look at the magnets below. The south pole of a
magnet attracts the north pole of another magnet.
N S
N S
Unlike
poles attract
Repel means "push away" or
"push apart." Look at the magnets below. The north
pole of the magnet repels the north pole of the other magnet.
S N
N S
Like poles repel
Try it yourself! Get two bar magnets and experiment with
them.
Directions: Answer the questions about
magnetism.
Which one will a magnet attract?
plastic comb
paperclip
shoelace
Which one will a magnet not attract?
glass
screw
nail
The south end of a bar magnet is
labeled
N
S
The north end of a bar magnet is
labeled
N
S
A bar magnet is strongest at the
middle
poles
The earth is like a giant
force
magnet
iron
The north end of a bar magnet always
points to the
north
south
The south end of a bar magnet always
points to the
north
south
Repel means
push away
come
together
Poles that are not alike
repel each other
attract
each other
Poles that are alike
repel each other
attract
each other
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S
