Learn about the world of magnets – how they attract, their poles, their use in navigation, and fun experiments. This chapter explores magnetic materials, direction-finding with compass, magnetic poles, and more.
🔍 Important Concepts Covered
- Magnetic and Non-magnetic Materials
- Natural and Artificial Magnets
- Poles of a Magnet
- Magnetic Compass
- Attraction and Repulsion
- Fun Magnetic Activities
📚 4.1 Magnetic and Non-magnetic Materials
Materials like iron, nickel, and cobalt get attracted to magnets. These are called magnetic materials. Materials like wood, plastic, and rubber are non-magnetic.
🧪 Activity: Test Various Materials
Use a magnet to check which objects are attracted to it. Record your findings in a table:
| Object | Material | Prediction | Observation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pencil | Wood | No | No |
| Clip | Iron | Yes | Yes |
🧭 4.2 Poles of a Magnet
Magnets have two ends called poles — North Pole and South Pole. Iron filings stick more to the poles than the middle of a magnet.
🧭 4.3 Finding Directions
A freely suspended bar magnet always aligns itself in the North–South direction. This is the basic principle behind a magnetic compass.
🧪 Activity: Make a Compass
- Magnetise a sewing needle by rubbing it with a bar magnet.
- Insert it into a cork and float it in water.
- It will point in the North-South direction.
🧲 4.4 Attraction and Repulsion
Like poles (N–N or S–S) repel each other.
Unlike poles (N–S) attract each other.
🧪 Fun with Magnets
- Make a magnetic maze with steel balls
- Use magnets to pick up paper clips from water
- Construct a “hopping frog” with ring magnets
📝 Fill in the Blanks
- Unlike poles of two magnets attract each other, whereas like poles repel each other.
- The materials that are attracted towards a magnet are called magnetic materials.
- The needle of a magnetic compass rests along the north–south direction.
- A magnet always has two poles.
✅ True or False
- A magnet can be broken to get a single pole. — False
- Similar poles repel each other. — True
- Iron filings mostly stick to the middle of a magnet. — False
- A freely suspended magnet always points north–south. — True
🧠 Higher Order Thinking Questions (HOTS)
- How would you identify a magnet among three identical iron bars?
- Why does a magnetic compass help in finding directions?
- What happens when you place a magnet near a compass needle?
📌 Summary
- Magnets attract magnetic materials like iron, nickel, and cobalt.
- Magnets have two poles — North and South — which always occur in pairs.
- Like poles repel; unlike poles attract.
- A magnetic compass helps in navigation using the Earth’s magnetic field.
🔑 Keywords
Magnet, Poles, Magnetic Compass, Magnetic Material, Non-magnetic, Repulsion, Attraction, Bar Magnet, U-shaped Magnet, Ring Magnet
📎 Tags
#Class6Science #ExploringMagnets #Magnetism #MagneticCompass #NCERTScience #MagnetsInEverydayLife
🧠 Let Us Enhance Our Learning
✍️ 1. Fill in the Blanks
- Unlike poles of two magnets attract each other, whereas like poles repel each other.
- The materials that are attracted towards a magnet are called magnetic materials.
- The needle of a magnetic compass rests along the north–south direction.
- A magnet always has two poles.
✅ 2. True or False
- A magnet can be broken into pieces to obtain a single pole. — False
- Similar poles of a magnet repel each other. — True
- Iron filings mostly stick in the middle of a bar magnet. — False
- A freely suspended bar magnet always aligns with the north-south direction. — True
🔁 3. Match the Columns
| Column I | Column II |
|---|---|
| N – N | Repulsion |
| S – S | Repulsion |
| N – S | Attraction |
🔬 4. Atharv’s Experiment
Correct observation: Option (i) – 10 (A), 2 (B), 10 (C)
This is because the ends of the magnet attract more U-clips than the center.
🧲 5. Identifying Magnets
Reshma should check for repulsion between any two bars. If there is repulsion, then both are magnets. The iron bar will only show attraction, not repulsion.
🧭 6. Finding Poles Using a Marked Magnet
Bring the known North pole of the marked magnet near the unknown magnet. If it attracts, the unmarked end is South. If it repels, it is also North.
🧭 7. Finding North Without a Second Magnet
Freely suspend the bar magnet using a thread. The end pointing towards the North direction is the North pole.
🌍 8. Earth’s Magnetic Poles
The North-seeking pole of a compass points to the Earth’s geographic North. This means Earth’s magnetic South pole lies near the geographic North pole.
🛠️ 9. Helping the Mechanic
Rub the screwdriver with a magnet to magnetise it. Now it can pick up steel screws easily.
🧲 10. Ring Magnet Puzzle
Magnet X doesn’t move down because like poles are facing each other, causing repulsion. Flip one of the magnets to bring unlike poles together so they attract.
🧭 11. Magnet Polarity
If 5 is marked as North (N), then trace polarity through attraction and repulsion:
- 1 — South (S)
- 2 — North (N)
- 3 — South (S)
- 4 — North (N)
- 6 — South (S)
📌 Summary Keywords
Magnetic poles, repulsion, attraction, compass, magnetised needle, direction, iron filings, North–South
