What Magnets Do and Do Not Attract

Lab Brief #4

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

Energy never disappears — it just hides somewhere else.

What you'll learn

Magnets attract iron, steel, nickel and cobalt. They do not attract aluminium, copper, gold, plastic or wood — so most coins, drinks cans and kitchen foil are not magnetic, even though they look metallic.

Key words

magnetic material
A material a magnet attracts: iron, steel, nickel or cobalt.
non-magnetic
A material a magnet does not attract, including most metals.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: which will move faster, and why?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

bar magnet
assorted metal and non-metal objects
notebook

⚠️ Safety first

Keep strong magnets away from phones, bank cards and anyone with a pacemaker.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "magnetic material" and "non-magnetic" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Test twenty objects with a magnet and sort them into magnetic and non-magnetic. Note which metals surprised you and check what each is actually made of.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

Which metal is NOT attracted by a magnet?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

A magnet will attract an object made of:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🎢 You feel weightless on a roller coaster because you and the seat are falling at the same speed.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Magnetic Force Works at a Distance All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This is why airplanes can fly and why rockets reach space.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): This week, find one thing in your house that turns one kind of energy into another.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”

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What Magnets Do and Do Not Attract

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