NCERT Solutions for Curiosity Chapter 4 Exploring Magnets

Updated on 2026-09-05

About this chapter

A magnet is an object that attracts iron, nickel and cobalt. Magnets found in nature are called lodestones ; the bar, U-shaped and ring magnets in your laboratory are artificial magnets . Materials pulled towards a magnet are magnetic materials (iron, nickel, cobalt, steel). Materials that are not pulled are non-magnetic materials (wood, rubber, plastic, glass, paper, copper, aluminium). Every magnet has two poles — a North pole and a South pole — at its two ends, where the pull is strongest. Poles always come in pairs ; a single pole cannot exist, no matter how small you break the magnet. A freely suspended magnet always rests along the north-south direction , because the Earth itself behaves like a giant magnet. This is the idea behind the magnetic compass , and behind India's old matsya

  • Magnetic and Non-magnetic Materials
  • Poles of Magnet
  • Finding Directions
  • — Making your own magnetic compass
  • Attraction and Repulsion between Magnets
  • — A compass needle and a magnet
  • — Does the magnetic effect pass through other materials?
  • Fun with Magnets
  • –76End-of-chapter exercise
  • Projects and further exploration
Read the chapter
  1. Activity 4.1: Let us explore — Magnetic and Non-magnetic Materials Page 62 & 63
  2. Activity 4.2: Let us investigate — Poles of Magnet Page 64
  3. Activity 4.3: Let us experiment — Finding Directions Page 65 & 66
  4. Activity 4.4: Let us construct — — Making your own magnetic compass Page 67
  5. Activity 4.5: Let us experiment — Attraction and Repulsion between Magnets Page 68
  6. Activity 4.6: Let us experiment — — A compass needle and a magnet Page 69
  7. Activity 4.7: Let us investigate — — Does the magnetic effect pass through other materials? Page 70 & 71
  8. Fun with Magnets — Fun with Magnets Page 71 & 72
  9. –76End-of-chapter exercise — Let us enhance our learning Page 74
  10. Projects and further exploration — Learning further Page 76 & 77
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