Learning Outcomes

Recognise that a magnet can exert a push or a pull and unlike poles attract and like poles repel.

Recognise that friction is the force resisting the relative motion of a surface.

Description

This simulation shows how the forces acting on the magnets changes with the polarity of the magnets.

The north seeking pole (N-pole) of the magnet is indicated as N, while the south seeking pole (S-pole) of it is indicated as S.

Initially, the north seeking pole of both magnets face each other.

The user is able to drag magnet B and change the variables. When the magnets are close enough, they will be attracted/repelled to/by each other accordingly.

The forces are shown below the magnets, where the green arrow represents the magnetic force and the orange arrow represents the frictional forces.

The following is the controllable variables:

The side of the magnets can be flipped.

Controls

The magnets are moveable in the x-axis direction.

The centre of the free body diagram is moveable in the y-axis direction.

Play/Pause Button starts and pauses the simulation.

Step Button forwards the simulation by a one-time step.

Reset Button will put the simulation back to its default state.