GCSE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
Every magnet has a magnetic field around it. Within the magnetic
field, other magnets and magnetic materials experience a force.
1. Write down the names given to the two ends of a magnet.
2. Write down which end of a magnet a compass points to.
3. Describe how Earth’s magnetic field is vital for life to exist on Earth.
4. Traditional bar magnets are an example of a permanent magnet. Explain what is
meant by a permanent magnet.
5. A magnetic field can be displayed using field lines. Write down the direction that field
lines point in.
6. Sketch the shape of a magnetic field around a bar magnet.
7. Explain what it represents when magnetic field lines are close together.
8. Explain what it means when a magnet’s field lines are parallel and equally spaced
out.
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9. A moving charged particle will produce a magnetic field. Hence explain why a
current flowing through a wire produces a magnetic field.
10. Explain what a solenoid is.
11. Describe the shape of a solenoid’s magnetic field, including inside and outside the
solenoid and where the field is strongest.
12. Explain why an iron core is often placed in a solenoid.
13. Draw the magnetic field lines around the following magnetic objects:
a. Current carrying wire (conventional current going into the page)
b. The Earth
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