What it shows
Magnets attract things made of iron and most kinds of steel, but not paper, plastic, wood, aluminium or copper.
This idea has a short entry only. For the science behind it, read the sentence above with your textbook and ask your teacher to explain the law or idea it shows, so you can describe it in your own words.
Materials
- A small magnet tied to a string and a stick
- Paper fish with a paper clip on each
- Objects to test: coins, foil, keys, erasers
- A tray or box as the pond
Safety
For this project: Keep small magnets away from young children who might swallow them.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
All the safety rulesHow to go about it
Numbered steps have not been written for this idea yet. Plan it with your teacher: sketch the design with measurements, build one part at a time, test each part, and write every observation with the date. The free ebooks below have step-by-step projects of the same kind.
Take it further
Guess which of 15 objects are magnetic before testing, then count how many you got right.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
Free ebooks for this project
Science projects
Easy Science Projects for Class 1 to 5
Simple, safe projects young children can make with a little help
Science projects
Electricity and Magnetism Experiments
Hands-on experiments with cells, wires, bulbs and magnets