Magnet Magic
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flagWhat you'll discover
- arrow_forwardName the two poles of a magnet: north and south
- arrow_forwardShow that opposite poles attract and same poles repel
- arrow_forwardDiscover that magnets pull iron things like paperclips without touching them
- arrow_forwardNotice that the magnetic pull gets stronger as things get closer
Every magnet has two poles
Every magnet — big or small — has two ends called poles: a north pole (often painted red) and a south pole (often blue). You can never have a magnet with just one pole; cut a magnet in half and each piece grows its own pair!
In the simulation, the red end is north and the blue end is south. Press the flip button to swap them around.
The golden rule of magnets
Bring two magnets together and you will feel the famous rule: opposite poles attract, same poles repel. North pulls on south, but north pushes north away — no matter how hard you try to force them together.
Drag your magnet near the fixed one and let go. If the facing poles are different, they snap together. Flip the poles and the same magnet now pushes away, like an invisible spring!
Action at a distance
The most magical thing about magnets is that they pull without touching. The space around a magnet where its force works is called its magnetic field — the curved hint lines in the simulation show roughly where it reaches.
The field is strongest right at the poles and fades quickly as you move away. That is why the paperclips only leap towards your magnet when you carry it close to them.
Magnets only grab some things
Magnets attract things made of iron and steel — like paperclips, nails and fridge doors. They ignore plastic, wood, paper, glass and even most shiny metals like aluminium foil and copper coins.
Our planet is a giant magnet too! That is why a compass needle, which is a tiny magnet, always swings around to point north — helpful for finding your way in the mountains.