Magnets

Experiment #1 – Magnetic Fields

Materials Needed

• Bar magnet

• White paper

• Iron filings

• Compass

What to Do:

1. Put a bar magnet near a compass

2. What does it do?

3. Put the bar magnet underneath a piece of white paper

4. Sprinkle iron filings on the paper

5. What does it do?

Experiment #2 – What do magnets pick up?

Materials Needed

• Magnet

• Various materials like aluminum foil, nails, paperclips, erasers, crayons, dimes, pennies, etc.

What to Do:

• Try to pick up each item with the magnet.

• Do magnets pick up everything?

• Do magnets pick up everything made of metal?

Experiment #3 – An Electromagnet

Materials Needed

• Nail

• 6V lantern battery

• Wire

• Paper clips

What to Do:

1. Try to pick up the paperclips with the nail

2. Wrap the wire around the nail.

3. Attach one end of the wire to the positive end of the battery and the other to the negative end.

4. Try to pick up the paperclips with the nail now.