AQA · GCSE · Physics
Course version: 8463 · Version from Sept 2016
Poles of a magnet: Two like poles repel each other.
Two north poles pushed together repel, and so do two south poles.
Checked against the AQA 8463 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 3 of 10
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Two north poles pushed together repel, and so do two south poles. Sketch the field and you can see why: the lines leaving both north poles bend away from each other, none of them run from one magnet to the other, and there is a neutral point on the line between the magnets where the two fields are equal and opposite and cancel. Repulsion is worth remembering for a second reason: it is the only sure test for a magnet. A magnet attracts a magnetic material such as an iron nail as well as another magnet, so attraction proves nothing, but only another magnet can be repelled. The force gets stronger the closer the like poles are pushed.
What earns the marks
- Stating that two north poles, or two south poles, repel each other.
- Identifying repulsion as evidence that both objects are magnets.
- Describing the field between like poles as bending away, with a neutral point where the fields cancel.
- Stating that the repulsive force increases as the like poles are pushed closer together.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Explaining repulsion by saying the magnets are made of the same material.
Using attraction as proof that an unknown bar is a magnet.
Drawing field lines that run from one north pole into the other north pole.
Assuming there is no field at all in the gap between two like poles.
Exam tips
- Learn one sentence: repulsion is the only test that proves an object is a magnet.
- When sketching like poles, leave a gap with a neutral point rather than joining the lines up.
- Say which poles are facing before you say what the force does.
Try the lesson
The start of the Poles of a magnet: Two like poles repel each other. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
A student brings the north pole of one bar magnet close to the north pole of a second bar magnet. What happens between the two north poles?
Listen
Two north poles pushed together repel, and so do two south poles. Sketch the field and you can see why: the lines leaving both north poles bend away from each other, none of them run from one magnet to the other, and there is a neutral point on the line between the magnets where the two fields are equal and opposite and cancel. Repulsion is worth remembering for a second reason: it is the only sure test for a magnet. A magnet attracts a magnetic material such as an iron nail as well as another magnet, so attraction proves nothing, but only another magnet can be repelled. The force gets stronger the closer the like poles are pushed. A strong answer earns marks for these points. stating that two north poles, or two south poles, repel each other. identifying repulsion as evidence that both objects are magnets. describing the field between like poles as bending away, with a neutral point where the fields cancel. stating that the repulsive force increases as the like poles are pushed closer together. Exam tip: Learn one sentence: repulsion is the only test that proves an object is a magnet.
See it
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
like poles repel
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test for a magnet
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neutral point
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field between like poles
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See every definition
- like poles repel
- Two north poles pushed together repel, and so do two south poles.
- test for a magnet
- Repulsion is the only sure test for a magnet, because attraction proves nothing.
- neutral point
- A point on the line between the magnets where the two fields are equal and opposite and cancel.
- field between like poles
- The lines leaving both north poles bend away from each other, and none of them run from one magnet to the other.
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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