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GCSE Physics · Topic Test
Magnetism and Electromagnetism
FREE Online Physics GCSE Course35minutes
34marks
7questions
How it works
- Answer each question. Type into the boxes or pick an option, and use paper for working and drawings.
- Press Check my answers at the end of the question. Tick-box and number answers are marked for you.
- For written answers, compare yours with the mark scheme and tick each point you made. We highlight the key words we spot, but you decide, just like an examiner.
Which course are you taking?
Pick one and the page skips the questions that aren’t on your course. Combined Science answers Questions 1–5 (23 marks). Physics (triple) also answers Question 6 (transformers) and Question 7 (induction): 34 marks.
You will need: paper, a pen, a pencil, a ruler and a calculator. Your answers save automatically in this browser.
1
Question 1
6 marksThis question is about magnets.
(a)
Which statements apply to permanent magnets, which apply to electromagnets and which apply to both?
All five right: 2 marks. Three or four right: 1 mark.
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Need an electric current to work: Electromagnets
Have a constant magnetic field: Permanent magnets
Can be turned off: Electromagnets
Have north and south poles: Both
Often contain a coil of wire: Electromagnets
(b)
What is an induced magnet?
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Answer: D A temporary magnet made by placing a piece of steel in a magnetic field, or touching it with a magnet
(c)
Describe how to find the direction of the magnetic field around a permanent magnet using a small compass.
(3 marks)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes:
2
Question 2
3 marksThe left-hand rule is used to find the direction of the force on a current-carrying wire in a magnetic field.
The left hand
Choose the label for each “Direction of …” line on the diagram.
(3 marks)
Mark scheme
Top label (first finger, pointing straight out): magnetic field
Middle label (second finger): current
Bottom label (thumb): force
3
Question 3
4 marksThe diagram shows a rigid wire held between the poles of a U-shaped magnet. The magnet sits on a top pan balance.
The magnet was placed on the balance before the current was switched on, and the balance was then zeroed. After the current was switched on, the balance read 161 g. The arrow shows the direction of the current in the circuit.
The wire, the magnet and the balance
(a)
Which direction was the force on the balance?
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Answer: B Down onto the balance
(b)
By Newton’s third law, the force on the wire is in the opposite direction to the force on the balance. Which direction was the magnetic field?
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Answer: D From the front of the balance to the back
(c)
Explain what would happen to the reading on the balance if the current in the wire was increased.
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes:
⚠️ The magnet doesn’t change, so B stays the same. It’s the current that goes up, so F = BIL goes up.
4
Question 4
3 marksThe diagram shows apparatus used to demonstrate the motor effect. When the switch is closed, the movable wire rolls along the metal rails.
The motor effect
(a)
State one way to make the wire move in the opposite direction.
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes:
(b)
Explain why the wire moves.
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes:
5
Question 5
7 marksThe diagram shows a simple electric motor. A coil spins between the poles of two magnets.
An electric motor
(a)
Look down on the coil from above. Which way does the current go round the coil?
Use the left-hand rule on the side next to the N pole: the field goes from N to S and the force there is upwards.
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Answer: B
(b)
The motor is part of an electric drill. It needs to be able to change direction and speed. Describe how the direction and the speed of the drill could be changed without changing the way the motor is built.
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes:
(c)
State two ways the construction of the motor could be changed to increase its speed.
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes:
⚠️ More current changes how it is used, not how it is built, so it doesn’t score here (that was part (b)).
(d)
A student builds a model motor. The magnetic flux density between the poles is 3 × 10−2 T. The length of one side of the coil between the poles is 2 cm. The current is 0.5 A. Calculate the force on one side of the coil.
Type standard form like 3 x 10^-4.
N
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Force: 3 × 10−4 N
💡 You used 2 cm as 2. Change it to metres first: 2 cm = 0.02 m. (0.03 N scores 1 mark.)
💡 Check your powers of ten: 3 × 10−2 × 0.5 × 0.02.
Final answer not right? You can still earn method marks. Tick each step you wrote down (max 1):
6
Question 6
Physics (triple) only5 marksSkip this one. Induction and transformers are only on the Physics (triple) course, so this isn’t in your score.
The diagram shows a transformer.
A transformer
(a)
Explain why a transformer will not work with a battery.
(1 mark)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes:
(b)
Describe the construction of a step-up transformer.
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Tick each marking point your answer makes:
⚠️ That’s a step-down transformer. Step-up has more turns on the secondary.
(c)
A transformer has 2800 turns on its primary coil and 700 turns on its secondary coil. The potential difference across the secondary coil is 12 V. Calculate the potential difference across the primary coil.
V
(2 marks)
Mark scheme
Potential difference: 48 V
💡 Ratio upside down. The primary has 4 times as many turns, so it has 4 times the p.d. (3 V scores 1 mark.)
Final answer not right? You can still earn method marks. Tick each step you wrote down (max 1):
7
Question 7
Physics (triple) only6 marksSkip this one. Induction and transformers are only on the Physics (triple) course, so this isn’t in your score.
The diagram shows a geophone: a device used to detect earthquakes. The spike fixes the geophone firmly into the ground. An ammeter is connected to the terminals.
When an earthquake happens, the case and the coil move up and down with the ground. The magnet is heavy, so it does not move.
A geophone
Explain how the reading on the ammeter would change when there is no earthquake, a small earthquake and a large earthquake.
(6 marks)
Mark scheme
No earthquake: tick each point you made
In an earthquake: tick each point you made
| 0 | No relevant content. | 0 |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Isolated points, with errors in the physics or in the use of scientific words. | 1–2 |
| Level 2 | A clear answer giving the main points, but maybe out of order. Some correct scientific words. | 3–4 |
| Level 3 | A clear answer that links the coil moving relative to the magnet to the changing current, and links the ground’s movement to the alternating current. | 5–6 |
Your mark:
Show a model answer
- No earthquake: the coil and the magnet do not move relative to each other, so no potential difference is induced and the ammeter reads zero.
- Small earthquake: the case and coil move up and down but the heavy magnet stays still, so the coil moves relative to the magnet. The coil cuts the magnetic field lines, which induces a potential difference across the coil, and a current flows through the ammeter.
- The current changes direction each time the coil changes direction, so it is an alternating current, at the same frequency as the ground shakes.
- Large earthquake: the coil moves further and faster, so it cuts the field lines faster. The induced p.d. is bigger, so the ammeter shows a bigger (alternating) current.
Your results
0 / 34
| Question | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | Q6 | Q7 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Out of | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 34 |
| Your mark | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0 |
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