IGCSE 0625 / Section 4.1 / Core

Like repels, unlike attracts.

Bring two magnets together and they either snap shut or push your hands apart, depending on which ends you offer. That push and pull, acting across a gap with nothing touching, is the first clue to how magnetism works.

The key idea

Every magnet has a north pole and a south pole. Like poles repel and unlike poles attract, and the force acts at a distance without contact. Repulsion is the only sure test that a material is itself a magnet.

Definition · learn the exact words

A magnet has a north pole and a south pole. Like poles repel and unlike poles attract, and this force is a non-contact force.

like poles repel · unlike poles attract

A magnet also attracts an unmagnetised magnetic material, so only repulsion proves a material is magnetised.

Section 01

Feel the force between poles.

Bring poles together and apart, and watch whether they attract or repel.

Stage 1 · Learn

Check poles and forces

Four quick checks. Each correct answer earns XP and lights this skill on your star map.

Quick check+10 XP

Two north poles brought close together will...

Quick check+10 XP

A north pole and a south pole brought together will...

Quick check+10 XP

The force between two magnetic poles is...

Quick check+10 XP

The only certain test that a steel bar is a magnet is that it...

Section 02

Attraction is not proof.

Two magnets can attract or repel, but a magnet also attracts plain iron, so only repulsion is a true test.

Examiner trap

Repulsion is the only certain test that a material is magnetised. Attraction is not enough, because a magnet also attracts an unmagnetised magnetic material such as iron.

Stage 2 · Exam

Exam-style questions

Unlocks once the four checks above are done. Worth more XP, written in the style of Paper 2.

Finish the four checks above to unlock the exam questions
Exam style+20 XP

A bar X attracts both a steel paperclip and one end of a known magnet, but repels the other end of that magnet. This shows that X is...

Exam style+20 XP

Two bars attract each other whichever ends are presented. The bars are...

Exam style+20 XP

The south pole of a magnet is brought near the north pole of another. They...

Skill unlocked

Poles and forces, mastered.

The first magnetism skill is lit. Keep the chain going.

-Rank -Level -Score -Topics
Go deeper · practice
Six original Cambridge-style questions
Magnetic poles, the rules of attraction and repulsion, and the repulsion test for a magnet. Attempt each, then reveal the worked solution.
Stage 3 · master the unit
Electricity and magnetism challenge
Mixed questions across the whole unit, each one worth XP. Start this only when you feel confident across every topic in the unit, not just poles and forces.
Start the unit challenge →