Measuring the Strength of Magnets Lab

(Click here to see the mpeg movie of this lab!)

Purpose:

We wanted to find out if how many washers a magnet could hold.

Materials:

4 flexible magnets, 25X20 mm., with a 5-mm. hole in the center, 2 plastic cups, 1 tongue depressor, or craft stick, 1 Jumbo paper clip (paper clip hook), 25 washers, USS standard no. 10

Procedure:

First take the 2 plastic cups and turn them upside down, then put the tongue depressor on the cups.

Now place a magnet on the top of the tongue depressor, then take the Jumbo paper clip and bend it to make a hook, then put the paper clip on the bottom of the tongue depressor.

1. Turn the cups upside down and then place the tongue depressor across them.
2. Next you place the magnets on the tongue depressor on the top side.
3. Then bend the Jumbo paper clip into a hook.
4. Now place the bent Jumbo paper clip hook on the underside of the tongue depressor.
5. Keep adding washers to the paper clip until it falls from the magnet.
6. Record the number of washers the magnets held before the hook fell.
7. Add another magnet on top of the stack and continue testing until all eight magnets are used.

Results:

Magnets	Washers
1	3
2	6
3	9
4	11
5	12
6	12
7	12
8	13

Conclusion:

We found out that each magnets can hold about the same number of washers until a certain point and then the washers per magnet decreases, probably because the magnets on top of the stack are so far from the hook and washers.