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    Mondo Magnets: 40 Attractive (and Repulsive) Devices and Demonstrations
    Mondo Magnets: 40 Attractive (and Repulsive) Devices and Demonstrations
    Mondo Magnets: 40 Attractive (and Repulsive) Devices and Demonstrations
    Ebook205 pages1 hour

    Mondo Magnets: 40 Attractive (and Repulsive) Devices and Demonstrations

    By Fred Jeffers

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    About this ebook

    Surprising and seemingly impossible effects result from the 40 experiments included in this fascinating science resource—all based on real magnetic physics. Each experiment—such as using a common refrigerator magnet to create a three-dimensional image or floating a magnet and carbon sheet in midair—is outlined with step-by-step instructions and diagrams thatillustratethe keyconceptsof magnetism. Even the most experienced science teacher or at-home tinkerer will find dozens of new tricks in this amazing collection.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChicago Review Press
    Release dateMar 1, 2007
    ISBN9781613742440
    Mondo Magnets: 40 Attractive (and Repulsive) Devices and Demonstrations

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    Book preview

    Mondo Magnets - Fred Jeffers

    Introduction

    Welcome to the wondrous world of magnetism! When I was a small child I was given a pair of toys—small magnetic Scottie dogs—to play with. I have been fascinated by magnetism ever since. I was recently delighted to find that, after more than 60 years, the magnetic toy dogs are still sold today (they can be found at www.lehmans.com).

    Magnetic Scottie dogs

    During my 38-year career in industrial magnetic product research I have developed, discovered, and elaborated on many remarkable magnetic physics demonstrations, or magic tricks. Each is based on real magnetic physics, and they all produce surprising and seemingly impossible effects.

    I presented some of these demonstrations in a series of Magnetic Magic Show lectures after I was named an IEEE (Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineering) Distinguished Lecturer in 1999. The lectures were so successful, with a total of more than 3,000 people attending my shows, that I was motivated to write down the demonstrations in the form of this book.

    These experiments illustrate and bring to life important concepts in the very poorly understood field of magnetism. Many of the effects demonstrated at first baffle even magnetic experts, to the extent that they appear to be magic. However, to paraphrase Arthur C. Clarke, magic is just a word that means technology we don’t understand yet. This book shows how each of these 40 mesmerizing tricks works; once the secrets are revealed, the explanations of the magic involved are relatively simple to understand. Enjoy!

    Experiment 1

    Magnetic Money, Rocks, Beach Sand, Total® Cereal, and Dirt

    It’s shown that money, many rocks, beach sand, Total® cereal, and even common dirt are magnetic.

    Materials

    U.S. $1 bill

    Cellophane tape

    Very strong magnet (such as an NdFeB magnet)

    Rock (see page 2)

    Several handfuls dry beach sand

    Two small, nonmagnetic jars (such as glass baby food jars) and their lids

    Several handfuls Total® cereal

    Medium-sized bowl

    Pestle or heavy spoon

    Several handfuls dirt

    Elements of magnetic money, rocks, beach sand, Total® cereal, and dirt

    Fold the $1 bill tightly into a roughly ½-inch square and hold it together with cellophane tape, as shown. Show that the $1 bill is attracted to the strong magnet.

    Magnetic money

    Next, show that the rock can be suspended under the magnet. You will need to find a suitable rock before you begin—not all rocks are attracted to a strong magnet. Go to a beach or a streambed or anywhere where there is a large variety of rocks, touch your strong magnet to different small stones, and in a short time you should be able to find one that will work for this demonstration.

    Magnetic rock

    Place a large handful of beach sand in one of the jars and secure the lid. Turn the jar upside down and tape the magnet to its bottom. Shake the jar briskly for a few minutes, then remove the lid and slowly pour out the sand. A tablespoon or so of coarse, strongly magnetic black powder will remain in the jar, attracted to the magnet.

    Magnetic beach sand

    Remove the magnet from the jar and pour the black powder into another small jar for safekeeping. Using the same sand, repeat the procedure a few times to separate a bit more magnetic material from the sand. Transfer the black magnetic powder to the other small jar and set aside.

    Using additional handfuls of sand, repeat the process, transferring the black magnetic powder that’s collected to the second jar as you go. (This powder can be used to make a crude but effective Magnetic Mountain demonstration, which is described in Experiment 7.)

    Place a large handful of cereal in the bowl and, using the pestle or spoon, grind it into a very fine powder. Pour the powdered cereal into one of the jars and secure the lid. Turn the jar upside down, tape the magnet to the bottom of the jar, and briskly shake the jar for a few minutes. Remove the lid and slowly pour out the powdered cereal. About a teaspoon of magnetic material will remain inside, attracted to the magnet. You may have to repeat this process a few times, using new bowls of cereal, to collect a significant amount of magnetic material. Shown on page 4 is a small amount of magnetic cereal matter suspended in a plastic bag.

    Magnetic Total® cereal

    Finally, take a few handfuls of ordinary dirt from the garden and refine it in the same manner as for sand. This photo shows the jar of magnetic dirt suspended below the magnet.

    Magnetic dirt

    The Science Behind It

    Why are all these things magnetic?

    In each case, the black magnetic material that’s collected is iron oxide. Iron is the fourth most abundant element in the earth’s crust. The most abundant iron oxide is black Fe3O4, which is strongly magnetic. A $1 bill is magnetic because the black ink on the portrait side of the bill is loaded with black iron oxide Fe3O4 pigment. The bill contains only about 5 mg of the oxide. The bill weighs almost exactly 1 gm, so the Fe3O4 present in the pigment is easily holding up more than 200 times its own weight! This Fe3O4 pigment was originally put in the ink to make it black, not to make it magnetic. The hysteresis loop of a $1 bill is shown below. The coercivity is about 100 Oe and the remanent moment is appreciable.

    Hysteresis loop of a $1 bill

    The image on the next page was made by scanning the surface of a $1 bill with a magnetic read head similar to those used in modern tape recorders and hard disk drives. (The image is courtesy of Fred Chamberlain, who was at San Diego Magnetics at the time that he provided it.)

    Magnetic image of a $1 bill

    Comparing the magnetic image above to an actual dollar bill, the observant viewer will note that the treasury seal on the left side of the portrait is black, but is not magnetic. That is because the black ink in the seal contains no Fe3O4. This fact is the basis of some simple counterfeit currency detectors.

    The rock shown in this experiment is magnetic because it also contains Fe3O4. About 1 in 20 Southern California beach rocks is slightly magnetic, while about 1 in 100 rocks is magnetic enough to be picked up.

    Below is an M-H loop of the powdered cereal. Also shown is an almost identical loop of metallic iron powder.

    M-H loops of Total® cereal and iron powder

    The obvious conclusion from this plot is that Total® fortified cereal is fortified with iron that has been added in the form of metallic iron powder. It remains to be seen if metallic iron is digested and absorbed by the body.

    The beach sand and dirt both contain varying amounts of

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