Which Materials Are Magnetic? Test Before You Guess

What You'll Learn

• Only certain materials are magnetic: iron, nickel, and cobalt are the big three.
• Shiny metal does NOT mean magnetic — aluminum cans, copper pennies, and gold chains
• Magnets can PUSH too — two same poles facing each other repel, and you can feel the
• Magnetism reaches through thin stuff like paper — but every centimeter farther
• Scientists don't guess — they predict, then TEST each material and record what

Words to Know

Magnetic

A material a magnet can pull on.

The iron nail is magnetic — it leaps to the magnet.

Attract

To pull toward.

The magnet attracts the paperclip across the bench.

Repel

To push away.

Same poles repel — the magnets shove each other apart.

Poles

The two ends of a magnet — north and south.

North meets south and they snap together.

Predict

To make your best guess BEFORE you test.

We predict the chain will stick — then we test it.

Check What You Learned

Fun Facts

• A magnet exerts a force on magnetic materials without touching them — the pull acts through air and even through thin non-magnetic materials like paper

  Source: NGSS 3-PS2-3, electric and magnetic forces between objects not in contact

• The metals attracted to everyday magnets are iron, nickel, and cobalt — and alloys made mostly of them, like steel (which is mostly iron)

  Source: standard physical-science curricula / ferromagnetic materials

• Shiny metal is not a test for magnetism: aluminum, copper, zinc, and gold are metals but are NOT attracted to a magnet — a US penny (zinc core, copper plated) and an aluminum can do not stick

  Source: standard physical-science curricula; US Mint coin compositions

• A US five-cent "nickel" coin is actually 75% copper and only 25% nickel — and is NOT attracted to a magnet; pure nickel metal is, which is why we demo a nickel strip, not the coin

  Source: US Mint coin specifications; ferromagnetism of nickel

• Magnets have two poles — north and south; opposite poles attract and like poles repel, so a magnet can push as well as pull without any contact

  Source: NGSS 3-PS2-3; standard curricula

• Magnetic force weakens with distance — a paperclip leaps when the magnet is close but doesn't twitch from across the table

  Source: NGSS 3-PS2-3 / inverse relationship of magnetic force and distance