SCI; Magnetism

Intro to magnets

Vocab

●

Magnet: An object
that attracts
certain kinds of
metals, such as iron

●

Attract: To pull
together

What is a magnet?

●

Magnets pick up metal objects.

●

The primary metal that it attracts is iron.

●

Most magnets you see are man-made.

●

There are also naturally occurring magnets,

such as lodestone.

What does a magnet
look like?

Magnets come in
all sorts of
shapes!

Examples:

Bar, ring,
horseshoe, disc,
doughnut, needle

Fun fact!

Lodestone is also
called magnetite.
The word magnet
comes from the name
Magnesia, the Greek
area where the
mineral was mined.

The ancient Greeks knew

about the magnetic

properties of lodestone.

lodestone

More Vocab

● Magnetic Pole: The

end of a magnet,
where magnetic
forces are
greatest.

● Repel: To push

apart

MAgnetic Poles

●

The ends of a magnet are called its magnetic

poles.

●

Whatever the shape, all magnets have two poles,

north and south.

●

The magnetic forces are greatest at the poles.

Magnetic Poles Continued

●

You can’t tell what pole you’re looking at

unless you try to put it near a magnet that has

the poles marked.

●

Opposite poles attract, but same poles repel.

Identifying a magnetic
field

Vocabulary

● Magnetic field:

Area around a
magnet in which
magnetic forces
can act.

● Lines of force:

Lines that show a
magnetic field

Identifying a magnetic field

● A magnetic field surrounds all magnets.

● Magnetic forces will attract or repel other

magnets.

● You can’t see magnetic fields.

Identifying a magnetic field

●

The lines of force show the magnetic field of a

magnet.

●

They are caused by the magnetic field.

●

The lines of force reach around from one pole to

another.

●

They make a curving line pattern around a magnet.

Magnetic field of a bar magnet

When they reach the
earth’s magnetic field,
some are trapped in the
magnetic poles. They
collide with molecules,
and the collisions cause
colorful displays, known
as the Northern Lights.

Fun fact

Electrically charged

particles from the sun

continually stream toward

the earth.

Northern lights, found in canada, alaska, greenland, and siberia

Guess what?!

The earth itself is a
giant bar magnet. It has
two poles, north and
south, just like a regular
bar magnet.

THE EARTH IS A GIANT MAGNET!

Compass

●

The earth’s magnetism is what allows compasses to

work.

●

The north pole of a compass attracts towards the

north pole of the earth.

●

It does this because they are called magnetic north

and south poles due to their location.

Sorry...Santa does not live at the north pole like you thought.

Scientists on the north pole

Antarctica is the southernmost continent in the world (and the least visited)