NCEA Level 2 Physics Practice Exam 2025 – The Complete Guide to Mastering Your Exam Success!

A magnetic field interacts with both magnetic materials and electric currents. Magnetic materials, such as iron or nickel, experience a force when they are placed in a magnetic field, leading to phenomena like attraction or repulsion depending on their alignment with the field. This occurs due to the alignment of their atomic magnetic moments with the external magnetic field.

Additionally, when electric current flows through a conductor, it generates a magnetic field around the conductor. This principle is a cornerstone of electromagnetism and is utilized in devices like electric motors and generators. When electric currents are placed in an external magnetic field, they also experience a force that can cause them to move, a phenomenon known as the Lorentz force.

Thus, the correct understanding is that the effects of a magnetic field are not limited to magnetic materials alone or electric currents alone; rather, it influences both, demonstrating the fundamental interrelationship between magnetism and electricity.