Question

Iron filings and a bar magnet are shown in the image below.



Which of the following best explains the arrangement and position of the iron filings?
A.
the gravitational field around the magnet
B.
the static electricity around the magnet
C.
the magnetic field around the magnet
D.
the electric field around the magnet

Answer 1

C — the magnetic field around the magnet.

Iron is ferromagnetic, so each filing becomes a tiny magnet in the presence of the bar magnet. They line up along the magnetic field lines (strongest and most concentrated at the poles), producing the visible pattern. Gravitational and electric fields or static electricity do not produce this characteristic aligned pattern.