Every permanent magnet has a north pole and a south pole. Even if you cut a magnet in half, the two remaining pieces will have a north and south pole. And if you know anything about magnetism, you know that opposites attract. The north pole and south pole of two magnets will pull towards each other, whereas two similar poles will repel each other. Magnetic attraction and repulsion are perhaps the simplest and most well-known properties of magnets. In this experiment, we’re creating a device that shows how magnetic repulsion works and makes learning about it fun.

Supplies

Steps

  1. First, you must build the base and pole to put the ring magnets on. Take the square block of wood, a 4” by 4” or 6” by 6” block is ideal, and drill a small indent in the center. Make sure that you do not go all the way through the block and that the hole is the same diameter as the wooden rod. It is also important to buy earth magnets with a diameter that will fit through your wooden rod.
  2. Put some wood glue inside the indent and press one end of the wooden rod inside. You can find wood dowels in many craft stores.
  3. Wait for the glue to dry to ensure that the rod is securely in place.
  4. While waiting for the glue to dry, you can paint one side of the ring magnets to indicate its pole. It doesn’t matter which pole you decide to paint as long as it remains consistent for every magnet used. At least 2 magnets are needed to conduct the experiment, but you can use a few more.
  5. If you painted your ring magnets, wait for them to dry. If not , you can start experimenting with them.
  6. Place a ring magnet on the wooden rod. If you painted the sides, you can put the painted side facing up.
  7. Place another ring magnet on the rod with the painted side face down. If you didn’t paint them, put the north up and north down or south up and south down.
  8. You’ll notice they don’t touch. In fact, if you try to push them together, they will resist you and bounce.
If you were to flip the side of the magnet on top, so that it is the opposite of the top of the magnet on the bottom, the two will attract each other. Bouncing the repelling magnets can be a lot of fun, but it is important to be careful when using them. Since magnets are often made of brittle materials and a strong magnetic force pulls them together, they can shatter or pinch fingers when colliding. Find more magnet safety tips here or if you have other questions, feel free to contact us here!