The Earth acts like a huge magnet and is surrounded by a magnetic field. Magnetic north is close to but not the same as the North Pole.

We use the terms north and south poles for smaller magnets.

A magnetic field is the area around a magnet where it pulls iron and steel objects towards itself. The pull spreads out all around the magnet. We can draw a picture of this field, showing the direction of the pull.

Put a magnet in the centre of a piece of paper. Place a compass near the magnet. Draw the direction of the compass needle on the paper, just behind the compass. Keep moving the compass and drawing the lines. In this way you can build up a picture of the magnet’s magnetic field.

ISE 5-14 Curriculum Support Materials                                                           Overview advice Group 7 exemplar Energy & Forces  - Forces (Word)
Magnets
3. When investigating which part of the magnet holds the most paper clips, the paper clips should be clustered together on the magnet. The end of the magnet should hold the most paper clips.
4. When two magnets are held together pole to pole they will either jump together or spring apart. If two like poles are together - N to N or S to S they will spring apart. If two unlike poles are brought together - N to S - then they will jump together. This is to do with the lines of magnetic force as shown below - A good way of demonstrating this is to use ring magnets. Make a pole by anchoring a pencil vertically in a piece of Blu-tak. Slide the ring magnets onto the pole one at a time. When the poles are together the magnets will ‘float’ above each other, where the poles are reversed they will drop onto each other.