What Magnets Do and Do Not Attract

Lab Brief #6

🎯 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

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

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
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

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

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Making a Circuit Light Up 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: 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.”

⚡Share card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

What Magnets Do and Do Not Attract

Next Smart Experiment

Share this experiment

What Magnets Do and Do Not Attract

Done with science? Try something else

Your Cart (0)