Magnetism Experiments

Materials: Water A Magnet A Paper-Clip A Clear Glass A Piece of Cardboard A Plastic or Wooden Ruler

Procedure: 1. Draw a maze on a piece of cardboard. Can you guide a paper-clip through the maze? Place the paperclip on the top of your cardboard with the maze facing up. Place the magnet under your cardboard where the paperclip is resting on top. Now move your magnet around and see what happens. 2. Can you rescue a paper-clip from a glass of water without getting wet? Fill you glass with water and drop the paper-clip inside the glass. Take the magnet and place it on the outside of the glass close to the magnet and see if you can pull the paper-clip to the side of the glass and up to the top (without getting wet). 3. Will the paper-clip climb the ruler? (You can use a plastic or a wooden ruler). Hold your ruler so that one end is resting on a flat surface and hold the other end up at a angle. Place the magnet on the under side of the ruler (the end that it resting on the flat surface) and then place the paperclip on the top of the ruler (again, the end of the ruler that is resting on the flat surface). Move the magnet to go up to the top end of the ruler.

Important information about magnets: Jobs of Magnets: Did you know that magnets hold the fridge door closed? Did you know that magnets are used to lift cars in a scrapyard? Did you know that cranes with giant magnets are used to pick/pull out metals from landfills? Did you know that magnets fasten hand bags? How magnets pull: Magnets pull on magnetic materials, such as iron, nickel, cobalt and steel, but pull through non- magnetic things, like cardboard, glass, plastic and wood. Magnets can even travel through water.

Continued All magnets have two ends or poles (North & South). If you put the poles of two magnets together, they will either pull together or push apart. They will pull (attract) each other if the poles are different. They will push (repel) each other if the poles are the same. Magnetism (the invisible force) can push and pull through some materials such as paper and plastic.