Magnetic Materials
Students explore magnetic materialsCopyright 2007 Visitor 1, Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scrap_Metal_(Eugene,_Oregon).jpg
Students begin working on the grand challenge of the unit by thinking about the nature of metals and quick, cost-effective means of separating different metals, especially steel. They arrive at the idea, with the help of input from relevant sources, to use magnets, but first they must determine if the magnets can indeed isolate only the steel.
This lesson pertains to engineering design specifications. In the associated activity, students have a set of design parameters (pick up steel, not aluminum) and must identify possible solutions that can achieve these parameters. Then they pare down the list of possible solutions based on efficacy and affordability. These guiding principles are common in the engineering desig approach.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Explain how magnets can be used to separate different metals.
- Identify metals that respond to magnets.
- Explain how engineers use properties of magnets in everyday applications.