their characteristics Magnets and their characteristics My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

Questions to think about… What characteristics do magnets have? How do two magnets interact? My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

Magnets Magnets are ‘special’ stones that interact with some metals. They are known as natural magnets. There are also man-made magnets which are made of iron or steel. natural magnets My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

What characteristics do magnets have? A magnet attracts an object when the object is pulled towards the magnet. What types of objects are attracted to a magnet? Which types are not attracted to a magnet? My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

What characteristics do magnets have? Which materials are attracted to a magnet? Objects made of metals like iron and steel are attracted to a magnet. These are known as magnetic materials. iron nails My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

What characteristics do magnets have? Which materials are attracted to a magnet? Not all metals are magnetic. They are called non-magnetic metals. Metals like gold, aluminium, silver and copper cannot be attracted to a magnet. Coins made of non-magnetic metals cannot be attracted to a magnet. My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

What characteristics do magnets have? Which materials are attracted to a magnet? All non-metals such as plastic, wood, paper, glass and clay cannot be attracted to a magnet. These materials are called non-magnetic materials. My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

What characteristics do magnets have? Which part of a magnet is the strongest? The attraction of a magnet is strongest at its ends. The ends of a magnet are called its poles. The paperclips are mostly attracted to the poles of the magnet. My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

What characteristics do magnets have? Finding the North-South direction What happens if you allow a magnet to turn freely? When a magnet is allowed to turn freely, it will come to rest in the North-South direction. This magnet comes to rest in the North-South direction when allowed to turn freely on a floating piece of styrofoam. My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

What characteristics do magnets have? Finding the North-South direction This magnet is suspended by a thread and allowed to turn freely. It will eventually come to rest in the North-South direction. My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

What characteristics do magnets have? Finding the North-South direction The pole pointing to the North is called the north-pole. The pole pointing to the South is called the south-pole. north-pole south-pole My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

How do two magnets interact? What happens when the north-poles of two bar magnets face each other? The north poles of the magnets push each other apart. N S When two like poles are brought together, they push each other away. The same thing happens when the south-poles face each other. This shows that like poles repel. My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

How do two magnets interact? What happens when the north-pole of a magnet is brought near the south-pole of another magnet? The poles of the magnets are pulled together. This shows that unlike poles attract. N S My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited

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The end My Pals are Here! Science © 2008 Marshall Cavendish (Singapore) Private Limited