GCSEBeast

Magnets and magnetic fields

GCSE Physics practice questions on magnets and magnetic fields. Try 3 for free below — with hints, the answer and why the wrong answers are tempting. GCSE Beast has 29 questions on this topic, from first steps to the hardest exam-style problems.

Question 1 of 3Difficulty ●●●●●

In a science club, children sort the objects in a tray by touching each one with a magnet wand.

Which list contains only objects that are attracted by the magnet?

Question 2 of 3Difficulty ●●●●●

A small steel screw lies on a smooth glass shelf, in line with a bar magnet. The tip of the screw points at the N pole of the magnet.

Which row gives the pole induced at the head of the screw and the way the screw moves?

: A bar magnet lies at an angle of about 35° to the horizontal, S at its lower-left end and N at its upper-right end. Beyond the N end, on the same line, lies a short steel screw; its end nearest the magnet is labelled 'tip' and its far end 'head'.
pole at the headmovement of the screw
ANaway from the magnet
BNtowards the magnet
CSaway from the magnet
DStowards the magnet
Question 3 of 3Difficulty ●●●●●

In a school display, iron filings were used to map the field around an unlabelled bar magnet and a metal rod placed in line with it. The diagram shows the field lines, with arrows added by a teacher.

Which row gives the pole at the right-hand end of the magnet and a material the rod could be made of?

: A horizontal bar magnet with no pole labels on the left, and a shorter rod labelled 'rod' to its right, on the same line, with a gap between them. Field lines with arrows enter the left-hand end of the magnet, curve round above and below it from its right-hand end to its left-hand end, and several lines run from the right-hand end of the magnet across the gap into the rod. Lines leave the right-hand end of the rod and loop back to its left-hand end and out to the edges.
pole at the right-hand end of the magnetmaterial of the rod
ANcopper
BNiron
CScopper
DSiron