Simple Phenomena of Magnetism (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Physics): Exam Questions

Exam code: 0625 & 0972

2 hours40 questions

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1
1 mark

Which of the lists of metals below contains only metals which are non-ferrous?

  • Iron, steel, nickel

  • Cobalt, copper, steel

  • Aluminium, brass, copper

  • Iron, tin, aluminium

2
1 mark

Which of the following choices of metal would be suitable for:

  • Use as a permanent magnet?

  • Use as the core in an electromagnet?

 

Use as a permanent magnet

Use as the core of an electromagnet

A

steel

iron

B

steel

steel

C

iron

iron

D

iron

steel

    3
    1 mark

    Which of the lists below are metals that are ferrous?

    • aluminium and iron

    • steel and iron

    • steel and lead

    • tin and iron

    4
    1 mark

    Which statement about a permanent bar magnet is incorrect?

    • The S-pole attracts the N-pole of another magnet

    • The S-pole repels the S-pole of another magnet

    • It cannot repel a non-magnetic material

    • It is made from a soft magnetic material (such as soft iron)

    5
    1 mark

    Extended tier only

     

    Which magnet has the strongest magnetic field?

    4-1-5-e-magnetic-field-lines-mcqs
      6
      1 mark

      What material can a temporary magnet be made from?

      • plastic

      • soft iron

      • steel

      • wood

      7
      1 mark

      The diagram shows a bar magnet and four plotting compasses. 

      Which compass correctly shows the direction of the magnetic field due to the magnet?

      Diagram of a rectangular magnet labelled S and N. Circles with arrows, labelled A, B, C, D, surround it, indicating direction of magnetic field.
        8
        1 mark

        Point X is near to a bar magnet, as shown

        Diagram showing a rectangle with "N" on the left and "S" on the right, indicating north and south poles. A dot labelled "X" is above the rectangle.

        Which arrow indicates the direction of the magnetic field of the bar magnet at point X? 

        Four arrows labeled A to D: A points right, B points up, C points diagonally up-right, D points diagonally down-right, on a white background.
          9
          1 mark

          The diagram shows the magnetic field pattern around a bar magnet.

          At which position is the magnetic field strongest?

          A bar magnet with its south pole on the left and north pole on the right. Magnetic field lines curve from the north pole around to the south pole. Four positions A, B, C and D are marked at different distances from the magnet. 
Point A is very close to the centre of the south pole.
Point B is midway between the poles and the fifth and sixth curved field lines.
Point C is midway between the poles and between the magnet and the first curved field line.
Point D is close to the corner of the north pole.
            1
            1 mark

            A student makes a series of statements about a permanent bar magnet.

            Which of them is true?

            • The North pole of a permanent bar magnet will repel the North pole of another magnet.

            • A permanent bar magnet must be made from a soft magnetic material.

            • A permanent bar magnet can repel a magnetic material.

            • The field lines of a permanent bar magnet cross each other where the field is strongest.

            2
            1 mark

            A student lines up some permanent magnets with soft iron nails in between as shown in the diagram below.

            q2-easy-mcq-4-1-simple-phenomenaof-magnets-cie-igcse-physics

            What would the magnetic poles of locations X and Y be?

             

            X

            Y

            A

            north

            north

            B

            north

            south

            C

            south

            north

            D

            south

            south

              3
              1 mark

              Which of the following statements could be used to describe something a permanent magnet could do?

              • It will repel non-magnetic materials.

              • It will repel non-ferrous materials.

              • It will attract ferrous materials.

              • It will have a single magnetic pole.

              4
              1 mark

              The diagram shows two bar magnets, stored with metal keepers across the ends. The keepers help to keep the magnets magnetised.

              4-1-4-m-magnet-and-keeper

              The material used for the keepers becomes strongly magnetised when placed in contact with the magnets, but does not remain magnetised when taken away from the magnets.

              What is a suitable metal to use for the magnets and what is a suitable metal to use for the keepers?

               

               

              Metal for keeper

              Metal for magnet

              A

              steel

              steel

              B

              iron

              steel

              C

              steel

              iron

              D

              iron

              iron

                5
                1 mark

                Which test could be used to find which end of a magnet is the south pole?

                • putting it near a ferrous metal

                • putting it near a compass needle and see whether the needle points towards the pole

                • putting it near a compass needle and see whether the needle points away from the pole

                • putting it near a non-ferrous metal

                6
                1 mark

                A student counts how many iron pins an electromagnet picks up when its power supply is switched on. Then, she counts how many pins are picked up when the power supply is switched off. 

                Diagram showing two electromagnets with labelled components. Left: power supply on, core and iron pins. Right: power supply off.

                She repeats the experiment using cores made of different materials. The results are shown. 

                Which core is made out of soft iron?

                 

                pins picked up with the power supply on

                pins picked up with the power supply off

                A

                0

                0

                B

                2

                7

                C

                8

                5

                D

                    12    

                0

                  7
                  Sme Calculator
                  1 mark

                  An unmagnetised piece of soft iron is placed close to a strong permanent magnet, as shown.

                  Diagram showing two rectangles: one labelled "permanent magnet" with "S" and "N," and another labelled "soft iron" with "X" inside.

                  What is the induced polarity of end X of the soft iron and in which direction does the magnetic force act on the soft iron?

                  polarity of end X

                  direction of force on the soft iron

                  A

                  N

                  to the left

                  B

                  N

                  to the right

                  C

                  S

                  to the left

                  D

                  S

                  to the right

                    8
                    1 mark

                    A student has two different materials.

                    Material 1 magnetises easily and loses its magnetism as soon as it is removed from a magnetic field.

                    Material 2 is difficult to magnetise but retains its magnetism for a long time.

                    Which row shows the most suitable use for these materials?

                    material 1

                    material 2

                    A

                    core of an electromagnet

                    core of an electromagnet

                    B

                    bar magnet

                    bar magnet

                    C

                    bar magnet

                    core of an electromagnet

                    D

                    core of an electromagnet

                    bar magnet

                      1
                      1 mark

                      A student has a collection of metal bars that keep sticking to each other. She suspects that they might be magnets, so she runs a test.

                      She holds end V of rod 1, near to each end of the two other rods. The ends are shown in the diagram below.

                      q1-medium-mcq-4-1-simple-phenomenaof-magnets-cie-igcse-physics

                      Her results are as follows:

                      End V:

                      • Repels end W

                      • Attracts end X

                      • Attracts end Y

                      • Attracts end Z

                      Which of the metal rods is a magnet?

                      • 1 and 2

                      • 2 and 3

                      • 1 only

                      • 2 only

                      2
                      1 mark

                      A student has what he believes to be a permanent magnet. He wants to find out which end is the magnet’s North pole.

                      What could he do to find out?

                      • Put the magnet under a piece of paper, and sprinkle iron filings on top.

                      • Put it near to a piece of magnetic material, like a steel paperclip.

                      • Place a compass near it.

                      • Put it near to a piece of ferrous material.

                      3
                      1 mark

                      A teacher, Mr. Garrison, brings a horseshoe magnet near to an iron bar as shown in the diagram.

                      q3-hard-mcq-4-1-simple-phenomenaof-magnets-cie-igcse-physics

                      Is the iron bar attracted to or repelled from the horseshoe magnet?

                      Which diagram shows the polarity of the poles that are produced in the iron bar?

                      Rod

                      Attracted / Repelled

                      Pole Distribution

                      A

                      repelled

                      q3-option-a-hard-mcq-4-1-simple-phenomenaof-magnets-cie-igcse-physics

                      B

                      repelled

                      q3-option-b-hard-mcq-4-1-simple-phenomenaof-magnets-cie-igcse-physics

                      C

                      attracted

                      q3-option-c-hard-mcq-4-1-simple-phenomenaof-magnets-cie-igcse-physics

                      D

                      attracted

                      q3-option-d-hard-mcq-4-1-simple-phenomenaof-magnets-cie-igcse-physics
                        4
                        1 mark

                        A student wants to make an electromagnet that acts like a permanent magnet that will retain its magnetism after it is switched off. The student is using some easy-to-find materials that are in the school lab.

                        q4-hard-mcq-4-1-simple-phenomenaof-magnets-cie-igcse-physics

                        Which metal should the student use, and which setting on the power supply?

                         

                        Metal

                        Power supply setting

                        A

                        Soft iron

                        6V a.c.

                        B

                        steel

                        6V a.c.

                        C

                        Soft iron

                        6V d.c.

                        D

                        steel

                        6V d.c.

                          5
                          1 mark

                          A student carries out an experiment to find out which of four metal rods makes the best permanent magnet.

                          q5-hard-mcq-4-1-simple-phenomenaof-magnets-cie-igcse-physics

                          The rod is attached to the south pole of a permanent magnet, and then paper clips are attached to the rod. The number of paper clips that can be held by the rod is counted.

                          The permanent magnet is then removed from the rod, and the number of paper clips that remain attached are counted.

                          The results are summarised in the table below.

                          Which of the rods becomes the strongest permanent magnet?

                          rod

                          number of paper clips held by the rod

                          when the magnet is present

                          when the magnet is removed

                          A

                          5

                          2

                          B

                          4

                          3

                          C

                          2

                          0

                          D

                          3

                          2