AQA · GCSE · Physics
Course version: 8463 · Version from Sept 2016
Attraction and repulsion between two magnetic poles are examples of…
Full specification wording
Poles of a magnet: Attraction and repulsion between two magnetic poles are examples of non-contact force.
Two magnets interact without ever touching, so magnetic attraction and repulsion are non-contact forces, in the same family as the gravitational force and the electrostatic force between charges.
Checked against the AQA 8463 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 5 of 10
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Two magnets interact without ever touching, so magnetic attraction and repulsion are non-contact forces, in the same family as the gravitational force and the electrostatic force between charges. The interaction is carried by the magnetic field that fills the space around each magnet: the field of one magnet reaches the other and exerts a force on it, and the second magnet's field does the same in return. Contact forces such as friction, tension, air resistance and the normal contact force require the surfaces to touch. On a free body diagram, a magnetic force is drawn as an arrow from the object in the direction the force acts, exactly like any other force, because force is a vector.
What earns the marks
- Classifying magnetic attraction and repulsion as non-contact forces.
- Explaining that the objects need not touch because the force acts through the magnetic field.
- Naming another non-contact force, such as the gravitational or electrostatic force.
- Contrasting with a named contact force such as friction or air resistance.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Calling the force a contact force once the two magnets have snapped together.
Listing 'magnetism' as a force rather than the magnetic force.
Classifying air resistance, upthrust or tension as non-contact forces.
Writing that the field is the force, rather than the field carrying the force.
Exam tips
- Give one example from each class when a question asks you to compare contact and non-contact forces.
- On a free body diagram, draw each force as a labelled arrow starting at the object.
- Say 'through the magnetic field' to explain how the force acts at a distance.
Try the lesson
The start of the Poles of a magnet: Attraction and repulsion between two magnetic poles are examples of non-contact force. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Two bar magnets are placed near each other so that their north poles push apart without touching. What type of force is this?
Listen
Two magnets interact without ever touching, so magnetic attraction and repulsion are non-contact forces, in the same family as the gravitational force and the electrostatic force between charges. The interaction is carried by the magnetic field that fills the space around each magnet: the field of one magnet reaches the other and exerts a force on it, and the second magnet's field does the same in return. Contact forces such as friction, tension, air resistance and the normal contact force require the surfaces to touch. On a free body diagram, a magnetic force is drawn as an arrow from the object in the direction the force acts, exactly like any other force, because force is a vector. A strong answer earns marks for these points. classifying magnetic attraction and repulsion as non-contact forces. explaining that the objects need not touch because the force acts through the magnetic field. naming another non-contact force, such as the gravitational or electrostatic force. contrasting with a named contact force such as friction or air resistance. Exam tip: Give one example from each class when a question asks you to compare contact and non-contact forces.
See it
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
non-contact forces
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force through a field
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contact forces
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forces as vectors
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See every definition
- non-contact forces
- Forces where the objects need not touch, because the force acts through a field, as with magnetic attraction and repulsion between two magnetic poles.
- force through a field
- The field of one magnet reaches the other and exerts a force on it, and the second magnet's field does the same in return.
- contact forces
- Forces such as friction, tension, air resistance and the normal contact force that require the surfaces to touch.
- forces as vectors
- A force is drawn as an arrow from the object in the direction the force acts, exactly like any other force.
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
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