Magnets push and pull — Physical education, 7–10 years
Magnets can act without touching and have two ends with different behaviours. Physical education, 7–10 years.
Magnets act at a distance
A magnet can pull some metal objects without touching them. Its two ends are called poles: a north pole and a south pole. Unlike poles attract, while like poles repel, so two north poles push apart and a north and a south pole pull together.
Why discover magnetism?
A strange natural rock called lodestone could pull iron, even when no hand touched it. This raised a useful question: can a force work across empty space? People learned to use this effect for finding direction, lifting metal and making moving parts work. The idea came from testing what magnets attract and how their poles behave.
Example: testing five objects
Sam brings a magnet near a steel paper clip, an iron nail, an aluminium foil square, a wooden bead and a plastic button. The clip and nail jump towards the magnet; the other three do not. He then turns the magnet around: both ends attract the steel clip, but the two ends repel the matching pole of another magnet.
The common mix-up
A common thought is that every shiny metal must be pulled by a magnet. That is understandable because iron, steel and some other metals can look alike. But aluminium foil, copper coins and many stainless-steel objects may not be attracted. A magnet test is more reliable than judging by colour or shine.
Magnets at work
A compass uses a small magnet to point roughly north, helping people find their way. Magnets also hold notes on a fridge, help speakers make sound and move motors in toys and appliances. Recycling centres use powerful magnets to separate iron and steel from other rubbish, where magnetic attraction is genuinely useful.
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