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8th grade Magnets, magnetic fields and electromagnets worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

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Magnets, magnetic fields and electromagnets

Grade 8 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. Read this first

    Teacher's electromagnet test (example data)

    coilspaper clips lifted
    104
    208
    3012
  2. The pattern in the table continues. How many clips would Ari's electromagnet lift with 70 coils?

  3. If the pattern in the table continues, how many clips would Esme's electromagnet lift with 70 coils?

  4. Use this

    Field diagram of a bar magnet, N pole on the left and S pole on the right. Field lines leave the N pole, curve around outside the magnet and enter the S pole; arrows on the lines point from N to S. Point A is 1 cm from the N pole, where the lines are close together. Point B is 6 cm above the middle of the magnet, where the lines are far apart.

  5. Where is the field stronger, and how do you know, Jun?

    • At B, since its lines spread over a larger area
    • At A, since the lines are close together there
    • At B, since it is above the middle of the magnet
    • The same at both, since field lines cannot cross
  6. Use this

    Field diagram of a bar magnet, N pole on the left and S pole on the right. Field lines leave the N pole, curve around outside the magnet and enter the S pole; arrows on the lines point from N to S. The compass is 2 cm to the left of the N pole.

  7. Which way does the compass needle's north end point, and why, Kira?

    • Up the page, to the geographic North Pole
    • Away from the magnet's N pole, along the field lines
    • Toward the magnet's N pole, since a north end is pulled to north
    • It keeps spinning, since two poles are near
  8. What will these two magnets do, and what in the diagram shows it, Luz?

    • Pull together, since both of the facing ends are N poles
    • Pull together until the field lines cross in the gap
    • Push apart: the lines from the two N poles bend away
    • Nothing happens, since the lines do not meet in the gap
  9. What a magnet picks up (example data)

    objectmaterialpicked up
    paper clipsteelyes
    nailironyes
    foilaluminumno
    wirecopperno
    spoonplasticno
    pencilwoodno
  10. Which statement does the table support, Milo?

    • It picked up only the iron and steel objects
    • A magnet picks up only the shiny, smooth objects
    • A magnet picks up every metal object it touches
    • A magnet picks up only the small, light objects
  11. Noah adds an iron washer and an aluminum washer to the test. What should the magnet do, using the table?

    • Pick up neither, since washers are small
    • Pick up the iron washer but not the aluminum one
    • Pick up the aluminum washer, since it is lighter
    • Pick up both, since both are metal
  12. A paper clip near a magnet (example data)

    distance from the magnet (cm)clip jumps to the magnet
    1yes
    2yes
    4no
    8no
  13. What does the table show about the magnet's pull on a paper clip, Pia?

    • The pull is the same at each distance tested
    • It acts across a gap and weakens with distance
    • The pull gets stronger the farther away the clip is
    • The pull works just when the clip touches the magnet
  14. Two bar magnets push apart with their ends facing. Ren turns one magnet around. What happens, and why?

    • They pull together: now unlike poles face each other
    • They spin around each other without touching
    • They push apart the same, since turning does not change poles
    • They push apart harder, since the poles now face the other way
  15. Can Tala cut a bar magnet to get a piece with just an N pole?

    • Yes, by cutting off the N end of the magnet
    • Yes, by cutting the magnet exactly in the middle
    • No: every piece has both an N and an S pole
    • Yes, by grinding off the S end of the magnet
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8th grade Magnets, magnetic fields and electromagnets worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Magnets, magnetic fields and electromagnets. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can predict electromagnet results from a table, including a pattern that does not start at zero and a case where two changes multiply.
  • I can pick the pair of rows that make a fair test of one variable, and say why a plan that changes two things at once cannot show which one matters.
  • I can use compass readings and force data to defend a model of a magnetic field (field lines from N to S, push between like poles, a pull that drops fast with distance).
  • I can explain why an electromagnet is stronger with more coils, with an iron core, and why it turns off with the current; and why a compass's north end points to a magnetic south pole.
  • I can judge a claim or a conclusion against the numbers, including how much evidence one trial gives.

Standard: MS-PS2-3, MS-PS2-5

Words to know

magnetic field: The space around a magnet where its force acts

field line: A line showing the direction of the field; closer lines mean a stronger field

pole: An end of a magnet where its force is strongest: N or S

electromagnet: A coil of wire with an electric current; the current makes the field

core: The iron nail inside the coil

variable: One thing you can change in a test

fair test: A test that changes only one variable and keeps the rest the same

Common mistakes

Your child gave the value for the row before. Each 10 coils add the same number of clips, so go up by one more step.

Your child added the two gains instead of multiplying them. When each change multiplies the clips, the changes multiply each other.

Your child assumed the clips are in proportion to the coils. In this table the line does not start at zero, so use the step each 10 coils adds.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with magnets, magnetic fields and electromagnets?

Your child gave the value for the row before. Each 10 coils add the same number of clips, so go up by one more step.

Are these 8th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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