Read Magnets: Test Poles, Induction and Field Strength
Magnet questions reward a clean distinction between attraction, repulsion and induction. A compass aligns with a magnetic field; a temporary induced magnet need not behave like a permanent magnet.
Electricity questions depend on identifying charge, a conducting path and the condition that controls current or magnetic effect.
Magnetic effects have two poles and a direction
Like poles repel · unlike poles attract
Like poles repel and unlike poles attract. Keep the field direction and the material’s magnetic property separate.
Use pole rules
Like poles repel and unlike poles attract. Repulsion is the sure test of magnetism because many magnetic materials are attracted to a magnet.
Read the field effect
A current-carrying coil becomes an electromagnet. Increasing current strengthens its magnetic field, so a nearby compass can deflect more, while non-magnetic materials such as glass are not attracted.
OlympIQ exam lens
- ✓Identify the relevant pole or field direction.
- ✓Use repulsion as the conclusive magnet test.
- ✓Separate an electromagnet from a heat conductor.
Attraction alone does not prove both objects are magnets; a magnet can attract unmagnetised iron by induction.
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