GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition

Answers to End-of-chapter questions for Chapter 34, Magnetism

It is very important that you are able to answer the questions on your own, using your
own knowledge of Physics.
Have a go at the questions first, and then check your answers using this page.
If you get a question wrong, try to work out where you have made an error.

1. a) repel, attract
b) stroking, electromagnet
c) alternating, heating, hammering
d) bar, South
e) magnetised, demagnetised; permanent
f) induced; attracted

2. a) The magnets act as catches to hold the doors shut.

b) The electromagnet can be switched on or off in order to move steel and iron
waste around the scrapyard (see page 294).
c) The flour may be contaminated with steel or iron during the manufacturing
(milling) process. Magnets will attract any steel or iron particles, removing
them from the flour.
d) During construction, the steel is being regularly hammered in the Earth’s
magnetic field, so its atomic magnets are shaken and tend to align with the
Earth’s field in domains, so it is very slightly magnetised.
e) The magnetised sump will attract and collect any particles of steel in the oil
that have worn off the engine.
f) The magnetised screwdriver will attract the screws and ‘hold’ them while they
are put into the screw hole.

3. Take the small plotting compass and hold it in turn to each end of the 3 metal bars.
The N-pole of the plotting compass will not be attracted to either end of the
aluminium bar; it will be attracted to both ends of the iron bar; it will be attracted
to one end of the magnet and repelled from the other end.

4. a) The domains line up in the same direction along the length of the magnet.
All the tiny N-poles add up at one end; the S-poles at the other. When the
magnet is broken there are N-poles at one side of the break and S-poles at
the other (see page 289).
b) Heating and hammering provide the energy for the domains to move out of
alignment. If they point in random directions they cancel each other out (see
page 289).

OUP GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition © Keith Johnson & Sue Holt, 2016 page 1 of 2
GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition

c) The magnetic domains line up in the same direction along the length of the
magnet. Along the body of the magnet, the N-poles and S-poles cancel each
other out.
d) The iron bar is saturated (fully magnetised) when all the magnetic domains
are perfectly lined up.
e) The magnetic domains in an iron bar are pointing in all directions so that
there is no resultant magnetism. The magnet causes the magnetic domains in
the iron bar to line up in the same direction. This is induced magnetism (see
page 289).

5. a) Iron – because it is a soft magnetic material. Iron is easy to magnetise, but

also loses its magnetism easily (see page 289).
b) Steel – because it is a hard magnetic material. Steel retains its magnetism
well and is used to make permanent magnets.
c) Plastic, aluminium (any non-magnetic material) – the material must not be
able to be magnetised.

6. See diagrams on page 288.

7. The S-pole of the Earth’s magnetic field is in the northern hemisphere and attracts
the N-pole of the compass (see page 288).

8. The aluminium core is a non-magnetic material.

The aluminium and the wire coil are denser than water and will not float.
The iron dish will become magnetised by induction and will shield the coil from the
Earth’s magnetic field.
The mains supply is a.c. and so the poles will alternate – this is no use for a
compass.
The electromagnet is connected to the high mains voltage of 230 V. This could
melt the wire.
The bare connecting wires are connected to the mains socket with no plug – this is
dangerous.
The use of water with mains voltage is dangerous.
The Professor has attempted to make an electromagnet that will only work if
connected to a electrical supply, so the device is not portable.
The connecting wires would prevent the electromagnet from rotating.

OUP GCSE Physics for You, Fifth Edition © Keith Johnson & Sue Holt, 2016 page 2 of 2