Class 6 Science Chapter 4 Exploring Magnets Revision Notes

Every magnet in Chapter 4 comes down to its poles and how they interact — iron, nickel, and cobalt are singled out as magnetic, and the rest of the essentials are recapped here.

Last Updated: September 23, 2026

Magnetic vs Non-Magnetic Materials

• Magnetic: iron, nickel, cobalt (and their alloys).
• Non-magnetic: wood, plastic, rubber, paper, cloth, aluminium, copper, gold, silver.
• Lodestone: a natural magnet (magnetite).

Poles of a Magnet

• Every magnet has a North and South pole — magnetic force is strongest there, weakest in the middle.
• Breaking a magnet always creates new N-S pairs — a single isolated pole is impossible.

Attraction and Repulsion

• Like poles repel (N-N, S-S). Unlike poles attract (N-S).
• A plain iron bar only ever attracts to a magnet — it never repels. Repulsion = definitive proof both objects are magnets.

Magnetic Compass

• A pivoted, needle-shaped magnet that aligns north-south because Earth itself acts like a giant magnet.
• The needle’s north-seeking end points to geographic North — meaning Earth’s magnetic South pole is near the geographic North Pole.
• Historical Indian device: Matsya-yantra (magnetised fish-shaped iron floated in oil).

Other Key Facts

• Magnetic force passes through non-magnetic materials (wood, glass, plastic) without much weakening.
• A steel object can be magnetised by stroking it repeatedly in one direction with a magnet.
• Store magnets in pairs with unlike poles adjacent; avoid heat, dropping, and hammering to preserve magnetism.

Quick revision: Solutions | Extra Questions for this chapter.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the two poles of a magnet, and how do they behave toward each other?
Every magnet has a north pole and a south pole, and like poles repel each other while unlike poles attract each other, a rule that governs how magnets interact when brought close.

What materials are attracted by a magnet, and what materials are not?
Magnets attract certain metals, mainly iron, nickel, and cobalt, called magnetic materials, while most other materials, such as wood, plastic, and glass, are non-magnetic.

Written by Satish

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