"What's the Attraction" Created by Doug Spicher™
Elkridge Landing Middle School
Elkridge, Maryland

This lesson is designed for grade 7 or 8 and should take about 1-45 minute period.

Name:_______________________

Date:_______________________

Period:_______________________

What's the Attraction?

Introduction

            Magnets have ends called poles. These poles are on opposite ends of a magnet and have opposite force. Many people get magnets and electricity confused, stating things like "magnets have opposite charges". This is understandable, but don't confuse them.

            Magnets' ends are called the north or south pole. Like electricity, opposites attract. North attracts south while north repels north. We will see this action today.

Materials

Please make sure that the following items are in your bins:

Procedure

  1. Choose a magnet pair to start with.

  2. Place the magnets far from each other, but opposite poles pointing at each other.

  3. Place the ruler on the table so that the "O" end is lines up with the edge of one of the magnets.

  4. Slowly move the other magnet toward the one at the "O" end of the ruler. Record the distance that they are apart when movement starts.

  5. Repeat for three trials with the remaining magnets and record.

  6. Repeat the entire lab again, but this time point the same poles at each other and record your results.

Observations

Repelling Distance

 

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Average

Bar magnet

 

 

 

 

Sm. Rectangle

 

 

 

 

Lg. Rectangle

 

 

 

 

 Attracting Distance

 

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Average

Bar magnet

 

 

 

 

Sm. Rectangle

 

 

 

 

Lg. Rectangle

 

 

 

 

Questions and Conclusions

  1. This was an experiment. Name the variables.

                                                                                                                                                   

  2. There were differences in the distances that you measured from one magnet to the next. Why were the distances different from one magnet to another?

                                                                                                                                                   

  3. Explain why your numbers do not agree with any other group's numbers.

                                                                                                                                                  

  4. Attach a proper graph for your collected data.

 

"What's the Attraction" Created by Doug Spicher ™