Two identical vertical soft-iron pins are suspended side-by-side from a low-friction pivot hinge at their top ends. They hang inside the core of a vertical solenoid, as shown in the diagram. The solenoid is connected in series with a direct current (d.c.) power supply and a switch.
Explain why the bottom ends of the soft-iron pins swing apart when the switch is closed.
The soft-iron pins are now replaced with geometrically identical steel pins. Describe and explain how the behavior of these steel pins differs from that of the soft-iron pins after the switch is opened again.
Permanent and induced magnetism, magnetic forces and fields Questions
Practise AQA GCSE Physics Permanent and induced magnetism, magnetic forces and fields with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 12 questions covering Poles of a magnet and Magnetic fields, matched to the AQA GCSE Physics (8463) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.