Magnetic fields

Cards (15)

  • Magnetic field
    The region around a magnet where a force acts on another magnet or on a magnetic material
  • Magnetic field line
    An imaginary line which indicates the direction of force caused by a magnet
  • Direction of a magnetic field

    From the north (seeking) pole of a magnet to the south (seeking) pole
  • How magnetic field lines indicate the direction of the field
    The field lines have an arrows on them which point from north to south
  • How magnetic field lines indicate the strength of the field
    The closer the lines, the stronger the magnetic field
  • Where the magnetic field is the strongest
    At the poles
  • Effect of distance on the strength of a magnetic field
    The strength of the magnetic field decreases as the distance from the magnet increases
  • Magnetic field between attracting magnets
    The magnetic fields combine to produce a uniform magnetic field
  • Uniform magnetic field
    A magnetic field that has the same strength at every point which is represented by parallel field lines
  • Magnetic field between repelling magnets
    The magnetic fields cancel out
  • Detecting magnetic fields
    A magnetic field is invisible, but it can be detected using a compass
  • Iron filings
    Small pieces of iron used to show the shape of a magnetic field
  • Plotting compass
    Small magnetic compass used to show the shape and direction of a magnetic field
  • The Earth's magnetic field
    A magnetic field produced by the Earth's core, which is made from iron and nickel
  • How a compass works
    The needle of a compass is a small bar magnet that points in the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field