| Here's
what you'll need to make
a new magnet with another
magnet:
A magnet
A metal paperclip
First, straighten out
the paperclip.
Then rub
the south end of the magnet
down the lower half of
the paperclip. Push hard.
Repeat this about 50 to
75 times.
Reverse
the magnet and the paperclip,
and rub the north end
of the magnet down the
upper half of the paperclip.
Repeat this also about
50 to 75 times.
You are
pulling all the particles
that make up the paperclip
in the same direction.
All their north poles
will point in one direction,
and all their south poles
in the other.
Now the straightened paperclip
will be a magnet too.
Try lifting some more
paperclips.
You can
use a compass needle to
decide which end of your
paperclip magnet is north,
and which is south, and
mark the ends with paint.
Do you think
it's possible to cut this
magnet in half, and make
one magnet with just a
north pole, and one with
just a south pole? Let's
find out.
If you try to cut off
one of the poles, all
that happens is that you
get a whole lot of tiny
magnets, each with their
own north and south ends.
Try it!
As small
as you try to cut a piece
of a magnet, you can never
get just one pole.
Magnet Madness
|