TOPIC 12 OF 46

Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets

🎓 Class 6 Science CBSE Theory Ch 4 — Exploring Magnets ⏱ ~14 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]

This MCQ module is based on: Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets

[myaischool_lt_science_assessment grade_level="class_6" science_domain="physics" difficulty="basic"]

4.4 Attraction and Repulsion between Magnets

In Part 1 we learnt that every magnet has two poles — N and S. But what happens when two magnets meet? Do they always stick together? Let's see!

Activity 4.5 — When Two Magnets Meet L3 Apply

You need: Two bar magnets (let's call them A and B), each with N and S ends clearly marked. A few round pencils.

  1. Lay the round pencils side by side on the table — magnet A will slide on these (like tiny rollers) to reduce friction.
  2. Place magnet A on the pencils.
  3. Bring the N pole of magnet B close to the N pole of A. Do not touch.
  4. Now turn magnet B around and bring its S pole close to the N pole of A.
  5. Note what happens each time.
Predict: Will the magnets always pull each other? Or can they push each other away too?
N near N → magnet A rolls away — it is being pushed (repelled).
S near N → magnet A rolls towards B — it is being pulled (attracted).
Try S near S: pushes away. Try N near S: pulls together. A clear pattern appears!
REPULSION (like poles) NS NS push apart ✗ ATTRACTION (unlike poles) NS NS pull together ✓ REPULSION (S-S) NS SN ATTRACTION (S-N) SN NS Like poles PUSH away • Unlike poles PULL together
Fig 4.6 — The rule of magnetic poles demonstrated with two bar magnets
Law of Magnetic Poles:
  • Like poles repel each other — N repels N; S repels S.
  • Unlike poles attract each other — N attracts S; S attracts N.
A clever test: If you have two iron bars and one is a magnet, how can you tell which is which without any extra equipment? Bring one end of bar A close to one end of bar B. If they repel anywhere — both must be magnets (only two magnets can repel!). Ordinary iron only attracts, never repels.

Where is the Pull Strongest? L3

Activity 4.6 — Ashwin's Clip Experiment

Ashwin takes a bar magnet and a small heap of steel C-clips (or paper pins). He touches different parts of the magnet — one end, half-way, the middle — to the heap and counts how many clips cling each time.

Position on magnetNumber of clips attracted
North-pole endMany (about 20)
Between N-pole and middleFewer (about 8)
Exact middleAlmost none (0–1)
Between middle and S-poleFewer (about 8)
South-pole endMany (about 20)
The two ends (poles) attract the most clips — they are the strongest points. The middle of the magnet attracts very few clips — it is almost 'neutral'. This proves once more that the magnetic strength lives at the poles.
N S Many clips at the two ends, hardly any in the middle
Fig 4.7 — Ashwin's observation: more clips attracted at the poles

Interactive: Magnet Interaction Simulator L4 Analyse

Press the buttons to flip a magnet's direction and see how the two magnets interact!

N S N S Magnet A Magnet B
Inner poles: S (A) ↔ N (B) → Unlike poles → ATTRACT ✓

4.5 Making Magnets

Most magnets we use today are not lodestones from mountains — they are made in factories. But you can make a small magnet at home using only a steel needle and an ordinary magnet. The trick is called the single-touch method.

Activity 4.7 — Make Your Own Magnet L6 Create

You need: A steel sewing needle (or an iron nail), a bar magnet, a few tiny pins.

  1. Place the steel needle flat on a table.
  2. Take one pole of the bar magnet (say, the N pole) and touch it to one end of the needle.
  3. Slide the magnet along the needle to the other end — in one direction only (do NOT rub back and forth!).
  4. Lift the magnet high in the air, bring it back to the start, and stroke again.
  5. Repeat 30–40 times — always the same pole, always the same direction.
  6. Now touch the needle to the heap of pins. What do you see?
Predict: Will the needle be able to lift the pins?
The needle now picks up the pins — it has become a temporary magnet! This is because repeated stroking in one direction lines up the tiny 'magnetic particles' inside the steel so they all point the same way.
Steel needle NS Stroke in ONE direction → Lift the magnet before each new stroke — never slide back! ✓ Same pole ✓ Same direction ✗ Back-and-forth ✗ Changing poles
Fig 4.8 — The single-touch method of making a magnet

Many Shapes of Magnets

Magnets are made in many useful shapes for different jobs.

NS Bar magnet NS Horseshoe NS Cylindrical N S Ring N S Button/Disc
Fig 4.9 — Common shapes of magnets used in daily life
🧲
Bar Magnet
Used in lab experiments and for magnet-making.
🧲
Horseshoe Magnet
Both poles face the same side — very strong pull for lifting.
🔋
Cylindrical
Found inside speakers, motors and earphones.
Ring / Button
Used in fridge magnets, toys and computer hard disks.

Competency-Based Questions

Ashwin has two identical-looking steel bars — X and Y. One is a permanent magnet, the other is a plain steel bar. He also has a third object Z which he knows is a bar magnet with its poles marked N and S.

Q1. The S pole of a magnet is brought near the N pole of another magnet. What will happen? L1

  • A. They will repel
  • B. They will attract
  • C. They will stay still
  • D. Both will lose their magnetism
Answer: B — Attract. Unlike poles (N and S) always attract each other.

Q2. Ashwin notices that when he brings bar X near bar Y, they are pulled strongly together. When he brings X near Z (a known magnet), they also attract. What can he say for sure? L4

Only attraction is not enough! Plain iron bars are also attracted to magnets. To be CERTAIN which bar is a magnet, Ashwin must check for repulsion. Only a magnet can repel another magnet. If X and Z repel when turned a certain way, X is a magnet.

Q3. While making a magnet, why should we always stroke in the same direction and never back and forth? L3

Rubbing in one direction lines up all the tiny magnetic particles in the steel in the same direction. If we stroke back and forth, the particles keep getting pushed both ways and never line up — so the steel does not become a magnet.

Q4. Fill in the blank: In the law of magnetic poles, like poles ___ and unlike poles ___. L1

Like poles repel and unlike poles attract.

Q5. Ashwin touches a heap of C-clips with the middle of his bar magnet and then with its end. Where will MORE clips stick, and why? L3

Many more clips will stick at the end of the magnet. The ends are the poles, where the magnet's pull is strongest. The middle region has very weak (almost zero) magnetic pull.

Assertion – Reason

Assertion (A): Two N poles brought close to each other repel.

Reason (R): Like poles of magnets always repel each other.

  • A. Both A and R are true, R explains A.
  • B. Both true, R does not explain A.
  • C. A true, R false.
  • D. A false, R true.
Answer: A. N and N are like poles, so R directly explains why they repel.

Assertion (A): A steel needle becomes a magnet when stroked repeatedly with one pole of a bar magnet in a single direction.

Reason (R): Stroking in one direction lines up the tiny magnetic particles of the needle in the same direction.

  • A. Both A and R are true, R explains A.
  • B. Both true, R does not explain A.
  • C. A true, R false.
  • D. A false, R true.
Answer: A. The alignment of internal magnetic particles is exactly what turns the needle into a magnet — R explains A.

Assertion (A): Two bars attract each other — therefore both must be magnets.

Reason (R): Only magnets can attract iron bars.

  • A. Both A and R are true, R explains A.
  • B. Both true, R does not explain A.
  • C. A true, R false.
  • D. A false, R true.
Answer: D. A is false — attraction alone does not prove both are magnets (a magnet will also attract plain iron). R is true. The real test for two magnets is repulsion.

Next → Part 3: Compass, Uses & Care of Magnets

Frequently Asked Questions — Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets

What does the topic 'Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets' cover in Class 6 Science?

The topic 'Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets' is part of NCERT Class 6 Science Chapter 4 — Exploring Magnets. It covers the key ideas of attraction, repulsion, like poles, unlike poles, making a magnet, stroking method, induction, explained through everyday examples, labelled diagrams and hands-on activities from the NCERT Curiosity textbook. Class 6 students learn simple definitions, see why each idea matters in daily life, and try short experiments and observations. The lesson uses easy language, colourful pictures and small questions so that young learners build a strong base for higher classes and for competency-based questions in CBSE school tests.

Why is 'Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets' important for Class 6 NCERT Science?

'Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets' is important because it builds the first ideas of science that Class 6 students will use again in Class 7, 8 and beyond. NCERT Chapter 4 — Exploring Magnets — introduces attraction and connects it to things children already see at home, at school and in nature. Learning this topic helps students ask better questions, understand simple news about science, and score well in CBSE tests that use competency-based questions. The chapter also supports NEP 2020 by encouraging curiosity, observation and learning by doing rather than only reading and memorising.

What are the key ideas students should remember from Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets?

The key ideas in 'Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets' for Class 6 Science are: attraction, repulsion, like poles, unlike poles, making a magnet, stroking method, induction. Students should be able to say each term in their own words, give one or two easy examples from daily life, and draw a small labelled diagram where needed. A good way to revise is to make flashcards, write a short note in the science notebook, and solve the NCERT in-text and exercise questions of Chapter 4. Linking every idea to something seen at home or school — in the kitchen, garden, playground or sky — makes these ideas easy to remember for unit tests and the annual CBSE examination.

How is Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets taught using activities in NCERT Curiosity Class 6?

NCERT Curiosity Class 6 Science teaches 'Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets' through an inquiry-based approach using Predict–Observe–Explain activities. Students first make a guess, then try a small experiment with safe, easily available materials, and finally explain what happened and why. This matches the NEP 2020 focus on learning by doing. For Chapter 4 — Exploring Magnets — the textbook has hands-on tasks, labelled pictures and thinking questions built for Bloom's Taxonomy Levels 1 to 6. Teachers use these activities, along with competency-based questions (CBQs) and assertion–reason items, to check real understanding instead of only rote learning.

What real-life examples of attraction can Class 6 students see at home?

Class 6 students can see attraction at home in many simple ways linked to 'Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets'. Kitchens, school bags, playgrounds, the garden and the night sky are full of examples that match NCERT Chapter 4 — Exploring Magnets. For example, students can look at food labels, watch changes while cooking, try safe activities with water, magnets or shadows, and observe the Sun, Moon and weather each day. Keeping a small science diary — with the date, what was observed and a quick drawing — turns daily life into a mini science lab. These real-life links make concepts easy to remember and help in answering competency-based questions in CBSE Class 6 Science.

How does 'Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets' connect to other chapters of Class 6 Science?

'Attraction, Repulsion and Making Magnets' connects to many other chapters in NCERT Class 6 Science Curiosity. The ideas of attraction come back when students study related topics like diversity in the living world, food, magnets, measurement, materials, temperature, water, separation, habitats, natural resources and the solar system. For example, what students learn here helps them build mental pictures for later chapters and for Class 7 and Class 8 Science. Teachers often ask cross-chapter questions in CBSE exams to check if students can use what they learned in Chapter 4 — Exploring Magnets — in new situations. This linked approach matches the NEP 2020 and NCF 2023 focus on holistic, competency-based learning.

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