Magnetism
2 guided lessons · 18 checks · 6. Magnetism and Electromagnetism → Magnetism and Electromagnetism
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The law of magnetism and the poles
Every magnet speaks one law: opposite poles attract, like poles repel — and attraction alone never proves a magnet, because magnets also pull unmagnetised magnetic substances towards them. The poles, where the pull is strongest, are where the law does its loudest talking.
What you know already
Every magnet obeys one law — opposite poles attract, like poles repel — and the strongest pull sits at the poles. This note separates true magnets from merely magnetic materials, explains why repulsion is the only certain test, and splits the magnetic family into hard keepers and soft losers.
Key points of understanding
- The law of magnetism: opposite poles attract, like poles repel.
- Magnetic forces are strongest at the poles of a magnet.
- A magnet attracts magnetic substances as well as opposite poles, so attraction is not proof of magnetism.
- Repulsion is the only certain test that an object is itself a magnet.
- A suspended magnet settles with one pole pointing north — the north-seeking pole.
Opposite poles attract; like poles repel
Poles of a Magnet
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1.The law of magnetism and the poles
Every magnet speaks one law: opposite poles attract, like poles repel — and attraction alone never proves a magnet, because magnets also pull unmagnetised magnetic substances towards them. The poles, where the pull is strongest, are where the law does its loudest talking.
Opposite poles attract; like poles repel
Poles of a Magnet
Key points
- The law of magnetism: opposite poles attract, like poles repel.
Guided content from the SME authoring corpus — note rn_sqCx39VrBpV7b3xJ, pinned at 6312d659ec0d · promoted SyllabAI/syllabai-resources b3caaaa90c5e
