You will need:
- One iron needle
- A small piece of Styrofoam
- One bar magnet
- One flat pie plate
Fill the pie plate with water to about 3cm in depth.
Float the Styrofoam in the middle of the plate.
Carefully stroke the needle lengthways along the bar magnet, around 30 times.
Gently place the needle on the Styrofoam and watch what happens.
Get the Electricity & Magnetism Unit of Work here!
- How does electricity actually flow?
- What makes magnets become magnetic?
- Why is there electromagnetism and what does this tell us about electricity & magnetism?
- From series & parallel circuits to conductors & insulators, there’s a lot to explore & learn!
Includes cross-curricular teaching ideas, student quizzes, a sample marking rubric, scope & sequences & more.
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Why Does This Happen?
The Earth is like one gigantic magnet. The magnetic field is generated by the movement of the molten iron in the Earth’s outer core. Compasses are just smaller magnets that detect the North Pole of the Earth’s magnetic field.
Rubbing the iron needle on the magnet aligns the magnetic domains within the needle, turning it itself magnetic. Floating it allows the magnetic needle to align with Earth’s magnetic field. This type of compass has been around for hundreds of years, ever since the properties of magnetite or ‘lodestone’ have been used for navigation. Lodestone literally means ‘the stone that leads’.
Variables to test
- How many strokes along the magnet do you need to do before it works?
- Change the strength of the magnet (safety – use adult help with strong magnets!).
- Would this work with pieces of copper, aluminium, zinc etc?
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Years 3 to 6
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STEM Full Day Accelerator - Primary
Designed from real classroom experiences, this modular day helps you create consistently effective science learning that directly address the new curriculum with easily accessible and cost-effective materials.
What is this supposed to do?
This experiment helps you create a simple compass. Try it out and see if it works!