Magnetism

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AQA GCSE Physics Your notes
7.1 Permanent & Induced Magnetism, Magnetic

Forces & Fields
Contents
7.1.1 Magnetism
7.1.2 Permanent & Induced Magnets
7.1.3 Magnetic Fields
7.1.4 The Earth's Magnetic Field
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7.1.1 Magnetism
Your notes
The Law of Magnetism
Poles of a Magnet
The ends of a magnet are called poles
Magnets have two poles: a north and a south
Poles of a Magnet
The Law of Magnetism
When two magnets are held close together, there will be an attractive or repulsive force between the
magnets depending on how they are arranged:
Opposite poles attract; like poles repel

The Law of Magnetism states that:
Two like poles repel each other
Two unlike poles attract each other
The attraction or repulsion between two magnetic poles is an example of a non-contact force
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7.1.2 Permanent & Induced Magnets

Your notes
Permanent & Induced Magnets
Magnetic Materials
Magnetic materials are attracted to a magnet; non-magnetic materials are not

Very few metals in the Periodic Table are magnetic. These include:
Iron
Cobalt
Nickel
Steel is an alloy which contains iron, so it is also magnetic
Magnetic materials (which are not magnets) will always be attracted to the magnet, regardless of
which pole is held close to it
Magnetic materials attracted to magnets

To test whether a material is a magnet it should be brought close to a known magnet
If it can be repelled by the known magnet then the material itself is a magnet
If it can only be attracted and not repelled then it is a magnetic material
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Types of Magnets
There are two types of magnets Your notes
Permanent magnets
Induced magnets
Permanent Magnets
Permanent magnets are made out of permanent magnetic materials, for example steel
A permanent magnet will produce its own magnetic field
It will not lose its magnetism
Induced Magnets
When a magnetic material is placed in a magnetic field, the material can temporarily be turned into a
magnet.
This is called induced magnetism
When magnetism is induced on a material:
One end of the material will become a north pole
The other end will become a south pole
Magnetic materials will always be attracted to a permanent magnet
This means that the end of the material closest to the magnet will have the opposite pole to
magnets pole closest to the material
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Your notes
Inducing magnetism in a magnetic material

When the magnetic material is removed from the magnetic field it will lose most/all of its magnetism
quickly
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Worked example
Your notes
The diagram below shows a magnet held close to a piece of metal that is suspended by a light cotton
thread. The piece of metal is attracted towards the magnet.
Which of the following rows in the table gives the correct type of pole at X and the correct material of
the suspended piece of metal?
ANSWER: A
X must be a north pole
The piece of metal is being attracted towards the magnet
The law of magnetism states that opposite poles attract
The material of the suspended piece of metal is nickel
Nickel is a magnetic material (It will experience a force when it is placed in a magnetic field, in
this case it is attracted towards the magnet)
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B is incorrect because X cannot be a south pole (and hence is a north pole)

If the pole at X was a south pole then the piece of metal would be repelled from the magnet
because the law of magnetism states that like poles repel Your notes
C and D are incorrect because aluminium is not a magnetic material
A non-magnetic material would be unaffected by the magnetic field produced by the magnet.
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7.1.3 Magnetic Fields

Your notes
Magnetic Fields
All magnets are surrounded by a magnetic field
A magnetic field is defined as:
The region around a magnet where a force acts on another magnet or on a magnetic
material (such as iron, steel, cobalt and nickel)
Magnetic Field Lines
Magnetic field lines are used to represent the strength and direction of a magnetic field
The direction of the magnetic field is shown using arrows
The strength of the magnetic field is shown by the spacing of the magnetic field lines
If the magnetic field lines are close together then the magnetic field will be strong
If the magnetic field lines are far apart then the magnetic field will be weak
There are some rules which must be followed when drawing magnetic field lines. Magnetic field lines:
Always go from north to south (indicated by an arrow midway along the line)
Must never touch or cross other field lines
Magnetic Field around a Bar Magnet
The magnetic field is strongest at the poles
This is where the magnetic field lines are closest together
The magnetic field becomes weaker as the distance from the magnet increases
This is because the magnetic field lines are getting further apart
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The magnetic field around a bar magnet

Two bar magnets can repel or attract, the field lines will look slightly different for each: Your notes
Magnetic field lines for attracting and repelling bar magnets

Therefore, the magnetic field lines around different configurations of two bar magnets would look like:
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Your notes
Magnetic field lines between two bar magnets
Exam Tip
If you are asked to draw the magnetic field around a bar magnet remember to indicate both the
direction of the magnetic field and the strength of the magnetic field.
You can do this by:
Adding arrows pointing away from the north pole and towards the south pole
Making sure the magnetic field lines are further apart as the distance from the magnet increases
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Force of Attraction
An attractive force can be experienced between: Your notes
The opposite poles of two different permanent magnets (due to the law of magnetism)
A magnet and a magnetic material (due to induced magnetism)
A magnet will always induce the opposite pole in the closet end of a magnetic material
Uniform Magnetic Field
A uniform magnetic field will be produced in the gaps between opposite poles
Note: Outside that gap the field will not be uniform
A uniform field is created when two opposite poles are held close together. A magnetic field is always
directed from North to South
A uniform magnetic field is one that has the same strength and direction at all points
To show that the magnetic field has the same strength at all points there must be equal spacing
between all magnetic field lines
To show that the magnetic field is acting in the same direction at all points there must be an arrow
on each magnetic field line going from the north pole to the south pole
The magnetic field lines are the same distance apart between the gaps of the poles to indicate that
the field strength is the same at every point between the poles
Exam Tip
When drawing a uniform field, stick to the field directly between the two poles – don’t worry about
what is going on around the sides.
Start by drawing a single straight line (use a pencil and ruler) in the middle – make sure you indicate
its direction
Next draw two lines at the top and bottom of the gap
Finally, you can add two further lines halfway between the others
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Representing Magnetic Fields

Direction of a Magnetic Field Your notes
The direction of the magnetic field at any point is given by the direction of the force that would act on
another north pole placed at that point
The direction of a magnetic field line is from the north pole of a magnet to the south pole of a magnet
This is because a north pole would be repelled by the north pole of a magnet and attracted to the
south pole of a magnet
Plotting Magnetic Fields
The shape and direction of a magnetic field may be investigated using plotting compasses
A plotting compass is like a small bar magnet, with a north and south pole
The arrow of the plotting compass represents the north pole
Investigating the Shape and Direction of a Magnetic Field
Step 1:
Place the magnet on top of a piece of paper
Draw a dot at one end of the magnet (near its corner)
Step 2:
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Place a plotting compass next to the dot, so that one end of the needle of the compass points
away from the dot
Use a pencil to draw a new dot at the other side of the compass needle Your notes
Step 3:
Move the compass so that it points away from the new dot, and repeat the process above
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Your notes
Step 4:
Keep repeating the previous process until there is a chain of dots going from one end of the
magnet to the other
Then remove the compass, and link the dots using a smooth curve – this will be the magnetic field
line
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Your notes
Step 5:
Repeat the whole process several times to create several other magnetic field lines
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Your notes
Compasses around a bar magnet show the direction of the magnetic field from north to south
Exam Tip
Remember that the direction of the field line at a point is the same as the direction of the force a north
pole would experience at that point
Teacher tip
There is another method we use in the classroom to visualise the magnetic field, which is to sprinkle
iron filings on a sheet of paper placed on top of the magnet. You may have done this in your key stage 3
physics class. In my experience, students prefer this method because you get to see the results much
quicker! However, for the AQA GCSE specification, it is the plotting compass method that you need to
use in the exam. Describing the method is a common 6 mark question, so make sure you can recall the
process step by step. My students tended to find that it is easier to follow each curve as an individual
line (as detailed above), rather than placing the compass in random positions.
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7.1.4 The Earth's Magnetic Field

Your notes
The Earth's Magnetic Field
On Earth, in the absence of any magnet or magnetic materials, a magnetic compass will always point
north
This is evidence that the core of the Earth is magnetic and creates its own magnetic field
The Earth's magnetic field is similar to that of a bar magnet
Comparison between the Earth’s Magnetic Field and a Bar Magnet

On Earth, the north arrow on a magnetic compass will point towards the geographic North Pole (in the
Arctic Ocean)
This is because the geographic North Pole is a magnetic south pole (the magnetic field lines point
into the pole)
The north pole of the magnetic compass is attracted to the Earth's magnetic south pole
The geographic South Pole (in Antarctica) is a magnetic north pole (the magnetic field lines point out of
the pole)
The north pole of the magnetic compass is repelled from the Earth's magnetic north pole
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Your notes
Geographic and Magnetic Poles of the Earth
Exam Tip
The Earth’s north pole actually acts like the south pole of a magnet: That’s why the north pole of a
magnet is attracted to it.
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AQA GCSE Physics Your notes

7.1 Permanent & Induced Magnetism, Magnetic

Opposite poles attract; like poles repel

7.1.2 Permanent & Induced Magnets

Magnetic materials are attracted to a magnet; non-magnetic materials are not

Magnetic materials attracted to magnets

Inducing magnetism in a magnetic material

B is incorrect because X cannot be a south pole (and hence is a north pole)

7.1.3 Magnetic Fields

The magnetic field around a bar magnet

Magnetic field lines for attracting and repelling bar magnets

Magnetic field lines between two bar magnets

Representing Magnetic Fields

7.1.4 The Earth's Magnetic Field

Comparison between the Earth’s Magnetic Field and a Bar Magnet

Geographic and Magnetic Poles of the Earth

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