Try it out pg.

397 - magnetic shielding

Objective: Test and prove if a material is magnetic or non-magnetic. Test and prove the effects
of magnetic shielding.

Apparatuses:
- A piece of cardboard
- Scissor
- Tape
- Magnets
- Paper clips
- A wooden strip (ice cream stick)
- An aluminum strip (aluminum whistle)
- An iron strip (stainless steel tweezer)

Procedures:

1)
Using the pieces of cardboard, construct a 'cardboard sandwich' with a thin slot that
allows the insertion of various strips.
 2)
Place the magnets on top of the cardboard sandwich. At the bottom of the cardboard
sandwich, allow some paper clips to be attracted to the magnets.

3)
Insert the wooden strip (an ice cream stick) into the slot. Note that nothing happens to
the paper clips.

4)
Replace the ice cream stick with the aluminum strip. What do you think will happen to
the paper clips?

5)
Now replace the aluminum strip with the iron strip (a magnetic material). The paper
clips directly below the strip will fall off. This demonstrates that the strip of iron shields
the paper clips from the magnet's magnetic field.

Precautions: -
Observations:
No. Material Picture Number of paper
clips attracted
1 Wood strip (ice 4
cream stick)

2 Aluminum strip 4
(aluminum whistle)

3 Iron strip (stainless 0

steel tweezer)

- When the ice cream stick and aluminum whistle is in the cardboard sandwich slot,
nothing changes. The paper clips are still attracted to the magnet.
- When the stainless-steel tweezer is in the cardboard sandwich slot, the paper clips fall
off.

Discussions:
1) Number of paperclips attracted to magnet:
With wood: 4 paperclips
 The wooden strip allows the magnet’s magnetic field to pass through them.

Without wood: 4 paperclips

2) Number of paperclips attracted to magnet

With aluminum: 4 paperclips
The aluminum strip allows the magnet’s magnetic field to pass through them.

Without aluminum: 4 paperclips

3) Number of paperclips attracted to magnet

With iron: 0 paperclips
The wooden strip allows the magnet’s magnetic field to pass within them.
 Without iron: 4 paperclips

4) Magnetic Materials = Materials that can be attracted to a magnet

Non-magnetic materials = Materials that cannot be attracted to a magnet

5) Magnetic shielding
o Soft magnetic materials like iron are used to divert the magnetic fields that are
present. This happens because the magnetic field lines pass within them, these
materials are permeable.
o Only magnetic materials are permeable, they allow magnetic field lines pass
within them. Permeable materials support the formation of magnetic fields
within them, so magnetic shielding happens.

6) How to determine whether a material is magnetic or non-magnetic:

o Hold the material close to a magnet
1. If the object is attracted to the magnet, it is a magnetic material.
2. Of the object is not attracted to the magnet, it is a non-magnetic material.
o Results:
→ Paper clips = magnetic materials
→ Ice cream stick = non-magnetic materials
→ Aluminum whistle= non-magnetic material
→ Stainless steel tweezer = magnetic material

Conclusions:
 - Magnetic shielding happens when the iron strip (stainless steel tweezer) is in the
cardboard sandwich slot. The magnet’s magnetic field lines pass within them. Therefore,
it is proven that iron can be used in magnetic shielding.
- Magnetic shielding does not happen when the wooden strip (ice cream stick) and the
aluminum strip (aluminum whistle) is in the cardboard sandwich slot. The magnet’s
magnetic field lines pass through them.

Recommendations:
- It would be better if the magnet is kept in place by tape or something else so that it
won’t slip/fall off during the experiment.

Sources:
- Chapter 20 Magnetism PDF
- https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/magnetic-shielding
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zyttyrd/articles/zw889qt#:~:text=Magnetic%20
materials%20are%20always%20made,and%20gold%2C%20are%20NOT%20magnetic