
Magnetic Shielding with Everyday Materials
Medium
Can a thin strip of metal block a magnet's pull? Magnets attract paper clips through cardboard and air. But some materials stop that force completely.
You build a cardboard sandwich with a magnet on top. Paper clips hang from the bottom, held by the magnetic field. Then you slide different materials into the gap. A popsicle stick has no effect. A metal strap makes the clips fall.
Materials that let magnetic field lines pass through are called nonpermeable. Materials that absorb field lines are called permeable. Only magnetic materials act as shields.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that a metal shield will stop the magnetic force of a magnet.
Method & Materials
You will make a cardboard-dowel-cardboard sandwich with a magnet attached to the top piece of cardboard. You will then add paper clips to the bottom of the sandwich and observe what happens. You will also insert a popsicle stick and a metal strapping tape (or butter knife) into the sandwich and observe what happens.
You will need a Radioshack™ donut magnet, two pieces of cardboard, two 1/4- inch dowels, five or six paper clips, a popsicle stick, a strip of metal strapping tape (or a butter knife), a hot glue gun (Elmer's™ glue or rubber bands are fine).
Results
The results showed that the magnetic field lines from the magnet passed through the cardboard and air. Materials like the popsicle stick that allowed magnetic lines of force to pass through them were called nonpermeable. The metal strapping tape (or butter knife) acted as a magnetic shield, gathering the magnetic lines of force and not allowing them to pass through.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting and unique because it allows students to explore the power of magnets and how to use them to make paper clips move. It also teaches students how to stop the paper clips with a metal shield.
Also Consider
Experiment variations to consider include using different types of magnets, different materials for the shield, and different objects to test the magnetic force.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related videos
These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
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