What Is Magnetism?
What Is Magnetism?
Owlo! Owlo! You have to see what happened at the market this morning!
Koko, you look like you ran all the way here. What happened at the market?
I was helping carry the groceries, and my bracelet flew off my wrist and stuck to a big metal pole. It just flew, Owlo. By itself!
Oh my, that must have been quite a surprise. Did anyone explain what happened?
The market man said something about magnets, but I didn't really understand. Is my bracelet magic?
Not magic, Koko, but something just as wonderful. What you experienced is called magnetism.
Mag-ne-tism. That's a big word. What does it mean?
Magnetism is an invisible force. It can pull certain things toward each other, or push them apart, without even touching them.
So it's like a superpower that you can't see?
That is actually a perfect way to think about it. I have some magnets in the science lab. Shall we go take a look?
Here we are. Now, pick up that red and blue bar on the table. That is called a magnet.
It feels like a normal stick. It doesn't look special at all.
Try bringing it close to these small metal paper clips and see what happens.
Whoa! They jumped right onto it! I didn't even touch them! That is so cool!
That pulling force you just felt is magnetism at work. The magnet creates something called a magnetic field around it.
A magnetic field? Is that like an invisible bubble around the magnet?
Exactly right. That invisible bubble is where the magnet's force can reach out and grab things.
But why did it grab the paper clips and not my pencil?
Great observation, Koko. Magnets only attract, which means pull, certain metals. Iron and steel are the most common ones.
So my bracelet must be made of iron or steel then. That's why it flew to the pole!
You figured it out yourself. Now, look at your magnet. Do you see the letters N and S on each end?
Yes! One end says N and the other says S. What do those mean?
N stands for North and S stands for South. Every magnet has two ends, and we call them poles.
Like the North Pole where it's super cold and snowy?
That connection is very clever, Koko. Earth is actually a giant magnet, and it has a North Pole and a South Pole too.
Wait, the whole Earth is a magnet? That is the most amazing thing I have ever heard!
It truly is. Now try pushing the two magnets together with the same letter facing each other and tell me what you feel.
They won't touch! It feels like something is pushing them away. It's like they're arguing with each other!
When two of the same poles face each other, they repel, which means push away. But try the opposite ends together.
Oh, they snapped together really fast! So same poles push away, and different poles pull together?
Perfect. Opposite poles attract, and same poles repel. That is one of the most important rules of magnetism.
This is so much better than magic. Magic you can't understand, but magnetism has rules you can learn!
I love that thought, Koko. Now, before we head back, can you tell me what you learned today?
Okay! So, magnetism is an invisible force that can pull or push things without touching them. Magnets only attract certain metals like iron and steel. Every magnet has a North pole and a South pole. Opposite poles attract each other, and same poles repel. Oh, and the whole Earth is one giant magnet, which honestly still blows my mind a little.
That was a wonderful summary, Koko. You should be very proud of yourself today.
Next time I want to find out how magnets are used in real things, like maybe trains or phones. There's so much more to explore!
What Is Magnetism?
Ages 6โ8 ยท ~4 min
Join Owlo and Koko as they explore the wonders of magnetism and discover how this invisible force works in everyday life!
What you'll learn
- Understand the concept of magnetism
- Identify magnetic and non-magnetic materials
- Explore forces without physical contact
What Is Magnetism?
Ages 6โ8 ยท ~4 min
