Magnetic or Not?
Students explore the basic magnetic properties of different substancesCopyright Creative Commons. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ceramic_magnets.jpg
Students explore the basic magnetic properties of different substances, particularly aluminum and steel. There is a common misconception that magnets attract all metals, largely due to the ubiquity of steel in metal products. The activity provides students the chance to predict, whether or not a magnet will attract specific items and then test their predictions. Ultimately, students should arrive at the conclusion that iron (and nickel if available) is the only magnetic metal.
This lesson continues exposing students to engineering design specifications. Students are researching the effectiveness of a solution to achieving one of their design parameters (pick up steel, not aluminum). This is a research and testing step in the larger design process that will achieve the desired product goal.
After this activity, students will be able to:
- Describe the chemical composition of steel.
- Identify metals that respond to magnets.