Magnetic Force Works at a Distance

Lab Brief #5

🎯 Your mission

Run the experiment. Find out what really happens.

⚡ The twist

Speed isn't the same as force. Don't mix them up.

What you'll learn

A magnet pulls on iron without touching it, and the pull gets rapidly weaker as the gap grows. It also works straight through paper, plastic and wood, because those materials do not block a magnetic field.

Key words

non-contact force
A force that acts without the objects touching.
magnetic field
The region around a magnet where its force can be felt.

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: where does the energy go?

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

Get ready

🧰 What you need

bar magnet
paper clips
ruler
card
book

Get ready

⚠️ Safety first

Keep magnets away from phones and bank cards.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

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

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Find the greatest distance at which a magnet still moves a paper clip, then repeat with card, then a book between them. Record all three distances and explain the pattern.

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

Magnetism is described as a non-contact force because it:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

As the gap between a magnet and a paper clip grows, the force:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

⚡ Static electricity is the same physics as lightning, just smaller.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: You use this every time you flip a light switch, ride a bike, or kick a ball.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Time how long a small ball rolls down something, then change the slope and try again.

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

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Magnetic Force Works at a Distance

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