Magnets Concept

Demonstrations in Magnets

Hand holding a clear acrylic sheet with iron filings scattered on its surface, placed on an overhead projector

Electricity vs. Magnetism

Revisits familiar electrostatics demonstrations with magnets to show that electric and magnetic forces are fundamentally different phenomena. Students see that both poles of a magnet attract a charged balloon, that …
Dark magnet tray holding a large horseshoe magnet labeled S and N, small red-blue bar magnets, cylindrical rod magnets, a small red horseshoe magnet, and a bar magnet with red N and black S ends
Safety

Magnets

An assortment of magnets for demonstrating attraction/repulsion, the impossibility of magnetic monopoles (broken magnets always produce two dipoles), and compass alignment with Earth's field. Useful as a hands-on introduction to …
Hand holding a dark, rough lodestone specimen with several paper clips clinging to it

Lodestone

Students see that magnetism occurs naturally in certain minerals. A lodestone (naturally magnetized magnetite, Fe₃O₄) picks up paper clips and has identifiable north and south poles, just like manufactured magnets.
Several broken bar magnet pieces (red-painted and bare metal) with Edmund Scientific labels on a green surface

Broken Magnets

Breaking a magnet always produces smaller dipoles — each piece retains both a north and south pole. This demonstrates that magnetic monopoles do not exist and that magnetic field lines …
Magnetic Cannon (Gauss gun) with aluminum rail on wooden base containing three magnet chambers loaded with ball bearings, wooden reset stick with ball bearing on left, stacked miniature wooden barrel targets on right

Gauss Gun

Students observe the conversion of magnetic potential energy into kinetic energy through a cascade of collisions. A slowly rolled ball bearing triggers a chain reaction where each magnet stage adds …
GE magnet assembly suspended from a ring stand rod, with the smaller contact plate attached and several cylindrical weights hanging below
Safety

Strength of a Magnet

Students observe that magnetic holding force depends strongly on contact area. With the smaller plate, the GE magnet holds ~1800 g; with the full-area plate, it holds ~6000 g — …