Lesson 7 of 10
With a magnet
Show on a big screenIron nails fall into a dish of sawdust. Sawdust is the fine powder left when wood is cut. Picking the nails out by hand is slow. What is faster?
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Step 1 of 4
- Iron nails and sawdust sit mixed in a dish.
- Hold a magnet above the dish.
- The nails jump onto the magnet.
- The sawdust stays behind.
The rule
A magnet is faster than picking by hand.
A magnet pulls iron and steel. It does not pull sawdust.
Magnetic separation — using a magnet to pull iron out of a mixture.
Move the magnet through the mixture. The iron sticks to the magnet. The sawdust stays in the dish.
works for iron powder and iron nails too.
Big magnets on cranes lift old iron out of waste.
Watch out!
A magnet does not pull every metal. Copper and aluminium are not pulled.
Try the lab to finish this lesson.