MYP Physics: Magnetism & Electromagnets FAQ

Magnetism is tricky because it forces you to juggle three abstract ideas at once — an invisible field, a 3D right-hand rule, and the circuit powering it. I've taught MYP 4-5 for years, and the most common slip is treating field direction and current direction as interchangeable — they're linked, not identical.

A permanent magnet keeps its field all the time because its atomic domains stay aligned, while an electromagnet only produces a field when current flows through its coiled wire. Switch the current off and the electromagnet's field collapses almost instantly — exactly why cranes, doorbells and switches rely on them.

A current-carrying wire creates a magnetic field because moving charge itself generates one — a phenomenon first properly demonstrated by Hans Christian Ørsted in 1820. The field forms concentric circles around the wire, and its direction depends on which way the current flows, found using the right-hand grip rule.

The right-hand rule finds a magnetic field's direction around a current: point your thumb along the conventional current flow, and your curled fingers show the field circling the wire. For a solenoid, curl your fingers around the coil in the current's direction — your thumb then points to the north pole.

You can strengthen an electromagnet three ways: increase the current, add more coil turns, or wrap the coil around a soft iron core instead of air. Each boosts the magnetic field, but the iron core often makes the biggest difference because iron concentrates field lines far more than air alone.

The most effective revision is drawing each field pattern from memory — a bar magnet, a straight wire, a solenoid — then testing yourself on the right-hand rule with a pencil in hand rather than just reading about it. On RevisionPrep, Topical Worksheets group these three patterns with applied exam-style questions.

Yes — MYP 4-5 magnetism goes further than MYP 1-3, introducing quantitative relationships between current, coil turns and field strength, plus criterion-based investigations you design yourself. Earlier years cover magnets qualitatively; MYP 4-5 expects you to test variables and explain results using proper scientific vocabulary.

A magnetism unit typically assesses Criterion A (Knowing and Understanding) for field theory and calculations, Criterion B (Inquiring and Designing) if you plan your own electromagnet investigation, and Criterion C (Processing and Evaluating) for analysing results like coil turns versus lifting strength.

MYP on-screen eAssessment for Sciences uses multiple-choice, short-answer and extended-response items, and magnetism questions typically appear as applied scenarios — a crane lifting scrap metal, a doorbell circuit — rather than bare definitions. You're expected to apply the right-hand rule and explain cause and effect, not just recall facts.

Magnetism in MYP 4-5 builds directly toward the DP Physics electromagnetic induction topic, where Faraday's and Lenz's laws formalise what you meet qualitatively here. Get comfortable now with field direction and the right-hand rule — DP assessment expects instant, confident application under time pressure, not re-derivation from scratch.

The most useful thing you can do is ask your child to physically demonstrate the right-hand rule with their own hand, rather than just reciting it — if they can't show it confidently, that's the gap to close first. Quiz them on real examples: a doorbell, a scrapyard crane, a loudspeaker.

Resources that help most combine clear field diagrams with practice applying them to real circuits — a textbook alone rarely closes that gap. On RevisionPrep, Revision Notes cover the core content, Topical Worksheets give exam-style practice, and Mock Papers let your child rehearse full eAssessment-style questions under timed conditions.