Question
The students continued their experiments on force fields, this time investigating magnetism. One group student set up the demonstration you see here. "Oh wow!" Sarah exclaimed. "It's magic!" Is it magic? Which statement best explains how the center magnet is able to hover between two other magnets? Responses A The magnets are stacked so that like poles are facing one another.The magnets are stacked so that like poles are facing one another. B The opposite poles of each magnet are facing each other so they repel.The opposite poles of each magnet are facing each other so they repel. C The middle magnet is repelling the top magnet while attracting the bottom.The middle magnet is repelling the top magnet while attracting the bottom. D The middle magnet is attracted to the top magnet but pulled down by gravity.The middle magnet is attracted to the top magnet but pulled down by gravity.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The best explanation for how the center magnet is able to hover between the two other magnets is option **C**: "The middle magnet is repelling the top magnet while attracting the bottom."
In this scenario, the center magnet is likely arranged with its poles in such a way that its north pole is facing the north pole of the top magnet (causing repulsion) and its south pole is facing the south pole of the bottom magnet (also causing attraction). This balance of forces allows the center magnet to hover.
Option A is incorrect because like poles facing each other result in repulsion, not attraction. Option B is incorrect because having opposite poles means attraction, not repulsion. Option D is partially correct but does not fully account for the interaction between the magnets that allows the center magnet to hover.
In this scenario, the center magnet is likely arranged with its poles in such a way that its north pole is facing the north pole of the top magnet (causing repulsion) and its south pole is facing the south pole of the bottom magnet (also causing attraction). This balance of forces allows the center magnet to hover.
Option A is incorrect because like poles facing each other result in repulsion, not attraction. Option B is incorrect because having opposite poles means attraction, not repulsion. Option D is partially correct but does not fully account for the interaction between the magnets that allows the center magnet to hover.