🌍 Science & Nature

Magnets: Pushes and Pulls

Ages 9–11

You will learn

Explain that magnets attract some metals, and that like poles repel while opposite poles attract.

Before you start

Knowing that a push or a pull is a force.

Quick answer

A magnet can pull (attract) things made of iron, steel, nickel and cobalt without touching them. Every magnet has a north and a south pole: opposite poles attract and the same poles repel (push apart).

Let’s learn

A magnet makes an invisible force that can pull some objects towards it, even without touching them.

What do magnets attract?

Magnets attract things made of iron, steel, nickel and cobalt. These are magnetic materials.

Magnetic ✅ Not magnetic ❌
steel paper clip plastic ruler
iron nail wooden pencil
steel spoon aluminium can

Not all metals are magnetic! Aluminium, copper and gold are not attracted to magnets.

North and south poles

Every magnet has two ends called poles: a north pole (N) and a south pole (S).

  • Opposite poles attract (pull together): N ↔ S
  • Same poles repel (push apart): N ↔ N or S ↔ S

Remember: opposites attract!

Check what you know

Choose an answer, then press Check. You can try again if you need to.

  1. 1 Which of these will a magnet attract?
  2. 2 What happens when you put a north pole next to a south pole?
  3. 3 What happens when you put two north poles together?
  4. 4 Are all metals magnetic?

Try this next

Test it! With a grown-up, use a fridge magnet to test 10 objects. Sort them into two groups: magnetic and not magnetic. Did any metal objects surprise you?