Contact & Non-Contact Forces
Science: Year 3 & 4 National Curriculum, topic 5.1.2
Contact & Non-Contact Forces
Forces can happen by contact between two things. Forces can also happen when there is no contact.
Contact forces
- When you push a rubber across a table, the force is from the contact between your hand and the rubber.
- This is a force caused by contact between you and the rubber.
Non-contact forces
- Magnets have a force that does NOT need direct contact.
- Magnets are made from a metal called iron.
- The force created by a magnet is 'magnetism'.
- Magnetism is a magnetic force.
Using magnetic forces
- Magnets can push or pull each other.
- Magnets can push or pull other objects.
- Magnets can push or pull without touching.
Magnetic materials
- Some materials can be pushed or pulled by magnets.
- Materials that can be pushed or pulled by magnets are called magnetic.
- Some materials cannot be pushed or pulled by magnets.
- Materials that cannot be pushed or pulled by magnets are called non-magnetic.
Test yourself on Contact & Non-Contact Forces
What is a non-contact force?
Which of these is true about magnets?
What do we call objects that can be pushed and pulled by magnets?