Exploring Magnets
Marking and storing magnets
Learn how to tell a magnet's poles apart, and how to store magnets safely.
How can you tell a magnet's poles apart just by looking?
- Some magnets have the letters N and S on them.
- On some, the North pole is shown by a white dot.
- On some, the North pole is painted red and the South pole blue.
Magnets need care. Your book's advice: 'Have fun, but treat magnets with care.' A magnet can lose its magnetism if you heat it, drop it again and again, or hammer it. And do not keep a magnet near mobile phones or remote controls.
Store magnets the right way:
- Keep them in pairs, with unlike poles on the same side (the North pole of one beside the South pole of the other).
- Put a piece of wood between the two magnets.
- Place two pieces of soft iron across the ends.
Poles are marked N and S, with a white dot for North, or red for North and blue for South; keep magnets safe by not heating, dropping or hammering them, and store them in pairs with unlike poles on the same side.
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