Page 392 - Microsoft Word - LessonPlan-Overview.doc
P. 392
Unit 11: Magnetism Page 21
Activities, Experiments, Projects
Lesson 1: Magnets
Note: This section is an abbreviated overview of the experiments online.
the magnetic field of the magnet.
Experiment: Simple
Once enough iron atoms turned the
Magnet Activities
nail itself became a magnet!
Let's play around with the idea of
Now let's destroy the magnetized
lining up all the mini-magnets
nail... and turn it back into a
inside an object to magnetize it.
regular old nail. Here's what you
You'll need a steel nail (steel is a
do:
combination of iron and carbon), a
magnet (the stronger the better), 1. Drop it on a hard surface. A
and a few paper clips. Here's what table, floor or sidewalk would work
you do: well.
1. Take a nail in one hand and the 2. Drop it again.
magnet in the other.
3. Drop it again.
2. Stroke the magnet along the
nail. Make sure to always stroke in 4. Drop it....you get the picture.
the same direction. From the head Drop it four or five times.
to the tip for example. Do that at
least twenty times. 5. Now see if it picks up any paper
clips. Is the nail still a magnet?
3. Now see if your nail can pick up
any paper clips. Feel free to Here you took atoms that were all
strengthen your magnet nail by nicely lined up and messed them
continuing to stroke the nail with up so they pointed in different
the permanent magnet. directions. Since they weren’t lined
up as nicely anymore they had
You actually twisted and turned much less or perhaps no magnetic
atoms! As you moved the force. If you remember the
permanent magnet over the nail magnets in a box that we were
the iron atoms in the nail actually talking about before. This is like
turned, to align themselves with you took that box that had all the
© 2010 Supercharged Science www.ScienceLearningSpace.com
392
