Hooked on Science: Magnetic attraction

Using a few items from around the house, you can learn how far the power of a magnet can reach.

Materials

* Magnet

* String

* Paper clip

Instructions

STEP 1: Tie one end of the string to the paper clip.

STEP 2: Touch the paper clip to the bottom of the magnet.

STEP 3: Gently pull down on the string so that there is space between the magnet and the paper clip.

Explanation

The magnet will pull on the paper clip as long as the paper clip is within the magnet's magnetic field. Once the paper clip moves beyond the magnet's magnetic field, gravity will pull the paper clip and cause it to fall.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website "Hooked On Science" at hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindsey@hookedonscience.org. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.