Exploring Magnets | Class 6 Science Notes
By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 4 min read
Exploring Magnets – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of Exploring Magnets from Class 6 Science, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.
Exploring Magnets
This introductory section sets the stage for the chapter by narrating a story about Reshma, a girl from Kerala who is fond of writing short stories. Reshma's story involves sailors in the olden days who used stars to find directions at night. However, when caught in a storm with an overcast sky, the stars were not visible, and the sailors needed an alternative method to find directions. Reshma discovers that travellers used a device called a magnetic compass for navigation. She recalls seeing magnets in everyday objects like pencil boxes, purses, and school dusters but had never examined them closely. Her curiosity leads her to explore magnets and magnetic compasses in detail. This section introduces the concept of magnets and their practical applications in daily life and navigation, highlighting the historical use of lodestones (naturally occurring magnets) and the development of artificial magnets made from iron and other materials. It also shows various shapes of magnets such as bar magnets, U-shaped magnets, and ring magnets, emphasizing their diversity and utility.
📊 Diagram: Figure 4.1 shows common items with magnets attached, such as pencil boxes, purses, and school dusters. Figures 4.2 illustrate magnets of different shapes: bar magnet, U-shaped magnet, and ring magnet.
🧪 Activity: No specific activity in this introductory section.
🔗 Connection: Leads to the next section 'Magnetic and Non-magnetic Materials' where students explore which materials are attracted to magnets.
Frequently asked questions
1. Fill in the blanks (i) Unlike poles of two magnets — each other, whereas like poles — each other. (ii) The materials that are attracted towards a magnet are called — (iii) The needle of a magnetic compass rests along the — direction. (iv) A magnet always has — poles.
(i) Unlike poles of two magnets attract each other, whereas like poles repel each other. (ii) The materials that are attracted towards a magnet are called magnetic materials. (iii) The needle of a magnetic compass rests along the north-south direction. (iv) A magnet always has two poles.
2. State whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F). (i) A magnet can be broken into pieces to obtain a single pole. [ ] (ii) Similar poles of a magnet repel each other. [ ] (iii) Iron filings mostly stick in the middle of a bar magnet when it is brought near them. [ ] (iv) A freely suspended bar magnet always aligns with the north-south direction. [ ]
(i) False. When a magnet is broken, each piece still has both North and South poles; single poles do not exist. (ii) True. Similar poles repel each other. (iii) False. Iron filings mostly stick near the poles of a bar magnet, not in the middle. (iv) True. A freely suspended bar magnet aligns along the north-south direction.
3. Column I shows different positions in which one pole of a magnet is placed near that of the other. Column II indicates the resulting interaction between them for different situations. Fill in the blanks. | Column I | Column II | | --- | --- | | N – N | --- | | N – --- | Attraction | | S – N | --- | | --- – S | Repulsion |
| Column I | Column II |
|---|---|
| N – N | Repulsion |
| N – S | Attraction |
| S – N | Attraction |
| S – S | Repulsion |
4. Atharv performed an experiment in which he took a bar magnet and rolled it over a heap of steel U-clips (Fig. 4.15). According to you, which of the options given in Table 4.3 is likely to be his observation? Table 4.3: Number of pins attracted by the magnet at its various positions | | Position A | Position B | Position C | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | (i) | 10 | 2 | 10 | | (ii) | 10 | 10 | 2 | | (iii) | 2 | 10 | 10 | | (iv) | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Option (i) is likely correct: 10 pins at Position A, 2 pins at Position B, and 10 pins at Position C.
Explanation: The ends of the bar magnet (Positions A and C) are poles and attract more steel U-clips, while the middle (Position B) is weaker magnetically and attracts fewer clips.
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