What can magnets do?

What can magnets do?

Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

DISCUSS (1 of 3):

What are some of the things you observed?

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

DISCUSS (2 of 3):

Was there anything that surprised you?

Why did that surprise you?

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

DISCUSS (3 of 3):

What are two or three questions you have about magnets that no one in your class knows the answer to?

Can you think of experiments that would help answer your questions?

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

Demo: Once a paperclip touches a magnet and becomes a magnet itself, does a paperclip STAY that way? Or does it stop being a magnet?

Try it! (Your teacher can demonstrate this.)

Reveal answer

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

DISCUSS: What do you think you could do with magnets that would be interesting?

There are so many possibilities. Here’s one I like: the magnetic sweeper I used in the parking lot to collect nails and sharp objects so they wouldn’t puncture holes in tires.

Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

force


1 of 10

a push or a pull
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

attract


2 of 10

to pull toward
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

repel


3 of 10

to push away, such as when two magnets with the same poles face each other
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

metal


4 of 10

a type of material that is usually shiny and you cannot see through it
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

material


5 of 10

what something is made of, like metal, wood, or plastic
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

property


6 of 10

something you can observe about an object or material
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

magnet


7 of 10

an object that can attract or repel certain materials, often metals
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

magnetic


8 of 10

something that can be pushed and pulled by magnets
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

magnetize


9 of 10

to make a material magnetic
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen
Slide Image

experiment


10 of 10

a test used to discover new information about a question
Full Screen
Controls Icon Exit Full Screen

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration
globe by Celestia , used under CC BY
sandals by luntblog , used under CC BY
Lefka Ori mountain range by Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho , used under CC BY
nails by Andrva , used under CC BY-SA
magnet rocks by Roke , used under CC BY-SA
skyline with screws by Simon Hadleigh-Sparks , used under CC BY
Or Venezuela by Didier Descouens , used under CC BY-SA
mineral copper by Daniel Stucht , used under CC BY-SA
silver by United States Geological Survey & Mineral Information Institute
iron by Siim Sepp , used under CC BY-SA
paperclip by Brandon Baunach , used under CC BY
powder steel by Aney , used under CC BY-SA
powder steel on magnet by Aney , used under CC BY-SA
silly putty by Childhood 101 , used under CC BY
100lbs of magnetic putty by Vat19.com , used under CC BY
saftey Ink by Chris Lott , used under CC BY
ferrofluid in a bottle by Vat19.com
train by Max Talbot-Minkin , used under CC BY
dancing clip by kinchangnoodle , used under CC BY
Activity
horseshoe by Ajcann , used under CC BY-SA
bar magnet by Aney , used under CC BY-SA
Lesson narration:

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students will explore the surprising properties of magnets and experiment with an invisible force that acts at a distance. In the activity, Magnet Discovery, students use ring magnets and common objects to discover the push and pull of magnets and how magnets attract certain types of metals.

Preview activity

Exploration

1 mins

Wrap-Up

14 mins

Extend this lesson

Download this Lesson to your device so you can play it offline: