The fourth chapter, Exploring Magnets, explains what magnets are, how they have been used since ancient times and what properties make them unique among all materials. The chapter begins by explaining that natural magnets called lodestones were used by sailors to navigate long before modern instruments existed and that today magnets are made from various materials and used in everyday objects, from pencil boxes and toys to compasses and electric motors. The chapter includes various activities that allow students to discover the properties of magnets through observation and experimentation rather than through rote learning.
Students test which objects are attracted to a magnet, explore where the magnetic force is strongest along a bar magnet, investigate what happens when two magnets are brought close to each other and learn how to make a simple compass using a needle, a cork and a bowl of water. NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science for this chapter cover all in-text and back exercise questions, helping CBSE Board Class 6 students write complete and accurate answers in their school exams.
Download NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 4 PDF
Download the NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 4 Exploring Magnets PDF for free and study anytime, anywhere. These solutions are prepared according to the latest CBSE 2026-27 syllabus and provide accurate, step-by-step answers to all NCERT exercise questions. Students can use this PDF to complete homework, revise important concepts like magnetic poles, magnetic materials, Earth's magnetism and compass, and prepare confidently for school exams.
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Class 6 Science Chapter 4 NCERT Solutions
NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Science Chapter 4 given below cover all the questions in this chapter. These solutions are prepared according to the latest CBSE Board Class 6 syllabus and are designed to help students understand the concepts clearly and write accurate and well-structured answers. By practicing these solutions regularly, students can improve their understanding of the chapter and prepare confidently for school tests and exams.
Q1. Fill in the blanks.
(i) Unlike poles of two magnets ______ each other, whereas like poles ______ each other.
Answer: 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 ______.
Answer: The materials that are attracted towards a magnet are called magnetic materials.
(iii) The needle of a magnetic compass rests along the ______ direction.
Answer: The needle of a magnetic compass rests along the north-south direction.
(iv) A magnet always has ______ poles.
Answer: A magnet always has two poles.
Q2. State whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F).
(i) A magnet can be broken into pieces to obtain a single pole.
Answer: False (F)
Every piece of a broken magnet has both a North pole and a South pole.
(ii) Similar poles of a magnet repel each other.
Answer: True (T)
Like poles (North-North or South-South) always repel each other.
(iii) Iron filings mostly stick in the middle of a bar magnet when it is brought near them.
Answer: False (F)
Iron filings gather mostly at the two ends (poles) of the magnet because the magnetic force is strongest there.
(iv) A freely suspended bar magnet always aligns with the north-south direction.
Answer: True (T)
A freely suspended magnet always comes to rest in the north-south direction due to Earth's magnetic field.
Q3. 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 | Repulsion |
| N – S | Attraction |
| S – N | Attraction |
| S – S | Repulsion |
Q4. 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?
| Position A | Position B | Position C |
|---|---|---|
| (i) 10 | 2 | 10 |
| (ii) 10 | 10 | 2 |
| (iii) 2 | 10 | 10 |
| (iv) 10 | 10 | 10 |
Answer: The correct option is (i) – 10, 2, 10.
Explanation: The magnetic force of a bar magnet is strongest at its two poles and weakest near the centre. Therefore, the magnet attracts more U-clips at Positions A and C and fewer at Position B.
Q5. Reshma bought three identical metal bars from the market. Out of these bars, two were magnets and one was just a piece of iron. How will she identify which two amongst the three could be magnets (without using any other material)?
Answer: Reshma should test the bars by bringing the ends of one bar close to the ends of another bar.
If two bars repel each other, both of them are magnets because only magnets can repel each other.
The remaining bar, which is only attracted but never repels, is the iron bar.
Therefore, the two bars that show repulsion are the magnets.
Q6. You are given a magnet which does not have the poles marked. How can you find its poles with the help of another magnet which has its poles marked?
Answer: Bring the North pole of the marked magnet close to one end of the unmarked magnet.
If the two ends repel, that end of the unmarked magnet is also the North pole.
If they attract, that end is the South pole.
Similarly, the other end of the unmarked magnet will have the opposite pole.
This method helps identify both poles correctly.
Q7. A bar magnet has no markings to indicate its poles. How would you find out near which end its North pole is located without using another magnet?
Answer:
Suspend the bar magnet freely using a thread tied at its centre. Allow it to come to rest without any disturbance.
The end that points towards the geographic North is the North pole of the magnet.
The opposite end is the South pole.
This happens because Earth behaves like a giant magnet.
Q8. If the earth is itself a magnet, can you guess the poles of earth’s magnet by looking at the direction of the magnetic compass?
Answer: Yes. The north-seeking end of a magnetic compass always points towards the geographic North. This means that the region near the geographic North acts like Earth's magnetic South pole, while the region near the geographic South acts like Earth's magnetic North pole.
Q9. While a mechanic was repairing a gadget using a screw driver, the steel screws kept falling down. Suggest a way to solve the problem of the mechanic on the basis of what you have learnt in this chapter.
Answer:
The mechanic can magnetise the screwdriver by stroking it several times in the same direction with one pole of a bar magnet.
Once the screwdriver becomes magnetic, it will attract and hold the steel screws, making it easier to repair the gadget.
Q10. Two ring magnets X and Y are arranged as shown in Fig. 4.16. It is observed that the magnet X does not move down further. What could be the possible reason? Suggest a way to bring the magnet X in contact with magnet Y, without pushing either of the magnets.
Answer: Magnet X does not move down because the like poles of magnets X and Y are facing each other. Like poles repel each other, so the upper magnet remains suspended above the lower one.
To bring magnet X in contact with magnet Y, turn either one of the ring magnets upside down so that unlike poles face each other. Unlike poles attract each other, allowing the two magnets to come into contact.
Q11. Three magnets are arranged on a table in the form of the shape shown in Fig. 4.17. What is the polarity, N or S, at the ends 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 of the magnets? Polarity of one end (5) is given for you.
Answer: Since end 5 is given as North (N), the other end of the same magnet (6) must be South (S) because every magnet has two opposite poles.
The horizontal and vertical magnets are touching each other, so the touching ends must have opposite poles.
Therefore:
1 - South (S)
2 - North (N)
3 - South (S)
4 - South (S)
6 - South (S)
Explanation:
Every magnet has one North pole and one South pole.
Opposite poles attract each other, so the touching ends must always have opposite polarities.
Using these two properties, the polarity of each end can be identified correctly.
Chapter Overview
This chapter explains that magnets are objects which attract certain materials such as iron, cobalt and nickel. It discusses how magnets have been used since ancient times for navigation and explains that magnets can be natural, such as lodestones, or artificial, made from magnetic materials in different shapes like bar magnets, ring magnets, horseshoe magnets and cylindrical magnets. The chapter explains that only certain materials are attracted to magnets. Materials such as iron, cobalt and nickel are called magnetic materials, while materials like aluminium, copper, wood, plastic, glass and rubber are non-magnetic.
Students also learn that every magnet has two poles, the North Pole and the South Pole. The magnetic force is strongest at the poles, which is why iron filings gather more at the ends of a magnet than at its centre. The chapter also explains that the poles of a magnet always exist in pairs and that a magnet can never have only one pole. Students are introduced to the basic properties of magnets. Like poles repel each other, while unlike poles attract each other.
The chapter explains that a freely suspended magnet always aligns itself in the north-south direction because of Earth's magnetic field. The chapter discusses simple activities such as making a compass by magnetizing a needle and floating it on water and magnetizing a screwdriver using the stroking method. It also explains that magnets can lose their magnetism if they are heated, hammered or dropped repeatedly. To prevent demagnetisation, magnets should be stored properly using soft iron keepers. Through these activities, students learn the properties of magnets and understand how they are used in everyday life.
Topics Covered in This Chapter
- What magnets are and how they were discovered.
- Natural magnets and their historical use in navigation.
- The Matsya-Yantra.
- Types of Magnets: Bar magnet, horseshoe magnet, ring magnet and cylindrical magnet.
- Magnetic and Non-magnetic materials.
- Poles of a Magnet.
- Iron Filings activity.
- Freely suspended magnet and the north-south direction.
- Earth as a giant magnet and its magnetic field.
- Making a simple magnetic compass using a needle, cork and water.
- Demagnetisation: how heat, hammering and dropping cause a magnet to lose its magnetism.
- Safe storage of magnets.
How to Prepare for This Chapter Using NCERT Solutions?
Start by reading the NCERT textbook thoroughly and complete all the activities included in the chapter. If you find any activity or question difficult, use the NCERT Solutions to understand the correct approach and explanation. Next, learn the three most important facts in the chapter. First, like poles repel and unlike poles attract. Second, a magnet always has two poles and they cannot be separated. Third, a freely suspended magnet always points north south because of Earth's magnetic field. These are the foundation of almost every question in this chapter, from fill in the blanks to application-based reasoning questions.
For pole identification questions, including identifying the poles of an unmarked magnet and identifying two magnets from three bars, always remember that repulsion is the only reliable proof that both objects are magnets. Attraction alone is not enough because plain iron is also attracted to a magnet. You must also understand the causes of demagnetisation. Heat, hammering and dropping can all demagnetise a magnet. You should also remember the correct method of storing bar magnets.
They should be stored in pairs with the unlike poles of the two magnets kept next to each other, a wooden spacer placed between them and soft iron keepers placed across both ends. For the compass making activity, you must remember the steps in the correct sequence. First, magnetise the needle by stroking it with a magnet. Next, push the needle through a cork. Then, float the cork in water. Finally, observe the needle pointing in the north south direction.
After completing the chapter, practice the textbook questions yourself before checking the solutions. For Class 6 Exploring Magnets MCQs, the most frequently asked questions are the definition of magnetic and non magnetic materials with examples, the rule of magnetic poles, the fact that a magnet always has two poles, why a freely suspended magnet points north south, the Matsya Yantra, the stroking method of magnetisation and the causes of demagnetisation.
