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Attractive?

PURPOSE

Determine some common household objects which are attracted to a magnet.
 

PERFORMING THE EXPERIMENT

  1. Find the white, bullet-type stirring-bar magnet  in the pile of objects in front of you on the table.
  2. Touch the magnet to every object, and decide which objects or which portions of objects are attracted to the magnet.
  3. Touch the magnet to other objects which you may have in your pockets.
  4. On slips of paper provided, make a list of the items which are attracted to the magnet.
  5. See if you can attract the paper clip to one end of the magnet and then pick up another paper clip, a nail, or a piece of coat hanger with the paper clip. 
  6. Rub the paper clip slowly over the magnet in its long direction about fifty times. Now try to pick up a second paper clip with the first paper clip, but without the magnet.  What do you observe?
     

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

1. Why are certain portions of some objects attracted to a magnet whereas other portions of the same object are not attracted to the magnet?

2. Are all metals attracted to a magnet?  Are any nonmetals (plastic, wood, rubber, etc.) attracted to a magnet?

3. Can you explain the behavior observed in procedure 6?
 

EXPLANATION

Most materials are not attracted to a magnet.  Those that are can become magnetized themselves.  Magnetic materials contain magnetic domains which are clusters of atoms that behave like tiny magnets.  When the domains are randomly arranged, the material is not magnetic, but if the domains are all lined up, the material has magnetic properties.  The materials which were attracted to the magnet contain magnetic domains that were in random order before being touched by the magnet.  The magnet's magnetic force pulled on the magnetic domains causing them to point toward the magnet.  The lining up of the domains magnetized the materials.  The magnet and the now-magnetized materials are attracted to each other.  When the paper clip became magnetized, it was also able to attract the wire coat hanger or other materials with magnetic domains. 
 

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

White bullet-type stirring-bar magnet; various household items such as a penny, a clothespin, a plastic button, metal and plastic bottle caps, a block of wood with nails embedded, aluminum foil, a paper clip, a section of metal clothes hanger, twistee; slips or small pad of paper.
 

REFERENCE

Modified from Janice Pratt VanCleave, PHYSICS for Every Kid:  101 Easy Experiments in Motion, Heat, Light, Machines, and Sound, Wiley, New York, NY, 1991, pages 52-53.
 
 
Kids Involved Doing Science is at http://www.kids.union.edu          Modified 02/22/2001 by C. & P. Scaife