Magnetic Poles and Fields

Lab Brief #5

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

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

What you'll learn

Magnets have north and south poles. Opposite poles attract and like poles repel. The magnetic field is strongest at the poles and gets weaker with distance.

Key words

work
Using force to move an object over a distance.
electromagnetic
Related to electricity and magnetism working together, like light and radio waves.

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

rubber bands

⚠️ Safety first

Have an adult check your set-up before you start, and tidy everything away afterwards.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Construct a catapult from popsicle sticks and rubber bands. Launch a marshmallow from different angles and measure the distance. Find the angle that gives the longest launch.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Watch carefully for any changes and note the time.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Create a data table to organize your measurements.

Question 1 of 3

What happens when like magnetic poles are brought together?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 3

What do magnets have?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 3 of 3

What happens when you rub a balloon on your hair?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔥 A bolt of lightning is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 3 right.

Next: Static Electricity and Electrons 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.”

♨️Share card

Share this experiment

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

Magnetic Poles and Fields

Next Smart Experiment

Share this experiment

Magnetic Poles and Fields

Done with science? Try something else

Your Cart (0)