Here is a lengthy listing of activities and resources pertaining to magnets and magnetism. Experiments which can be performed with many different types of magnets are described; detailed directions and photos are provided.

In this fun lab activity, students will learn about the attraction and repulsion of magnets. Students will discover that like poles repel while unlike poles attract.

In this physical science lab, students will investigate ways to control an electromagnet, how adding coils of wire can change the magnet, and the differences between an electromagnet and a bar magnet. Students will explain in their...

Exploratorium Science Snacks are miniature science exhibits and experiments that can be made with common, inexpensive, easily available materials. These electricity snacks represent a set of devices that you can build and experiment with...

Students use iron filings to explore the magnetic field around a magnet and record their observations then apply their experience with the magnet to understand the magnetic field around Earth.

Experiment with the compass in this tutorial to see how it responds to magnetic fields.

Physicists sometimes study matter under extreme conditions. For example, think of the emptiness of interstellar space vs. the unimaginable crush of pressure at the center of a neutron star, or an object dipped in liquid nitrogen vs. the...

Hands-on activities help students develop an understanding of Earth's magnetic field. Students use iron filings to explore the magnetic field around a magnet, record their observations, then apply their experience with the magnet to...

In this classroom activity, the learners will investigate the magnetic pull of a bar magnet at varying distances with the use of paper clips. Students will hypothesize, conduct the experiment, collect the data, and draw conclusions that...

Joseph Henry was an American scientist who pioneered the construction of strong, practical electromagnets and built one of the first electromagnetic motors. During his experiments with electromagnetism, Henry discovered the property of...

Luigi Galvani was a pioneer in the field of electrophysiology, the branch of science concerned with electrical phenomena in the body. His experiments with dissected frogs and electrical charges led him to suggest the existence of a...

For a man whose career involved the entire known universe, John Kraus had a remarkably insular upbringing. He was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and earned his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in physics, all at the...

Awarded more than 100 patents over the course of his lifetime, Nikola Tesla was a man of considerable genius and vision. He was reportedly born at exactly midnight during an electrical storm, an intriguing beginning for a man who would...

Joseph John Thomson, better known as J. J. Thomson, was a British physicist who first theorized and offered experimental evidence that the atom was a divisible entity rather than the basic unit of matter, as was widely believed at the...

Experiment with the torsion balance and see what happens first by giving the rod a charge, and then by moving the charged rod closer to the outer metal sphere of the instrument. Observe what happens to the needle as the charge increases.

Because they could store significant amounts of charge, Leyden jars allowed scientists to experiment with electricity in a way never before possible.

In the 17th century, German scientist Otto von Guericke built and carried out experiments with a sulfur globe that produced static electricity.

James Prescott Joule experimented with engines, electricity and heat throughout his life. Joule's findings resulted in his development of the mechanical theory of heat and Joule's law, which quantitatively describes the rate at which...

In their search for new superconductors, Swiss theoretical physicist Karl Alexander Muller and his young colleague, J. Georg Bednorz, abandoned the metal alloys typically used in superconductivity research in favor of a class of oxides...

In this science fair project, use Google Earth to determine if large mammals align themselves in respect to the earth's magnetic field. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and...

Robert Andrews Millikan was a prominent American physicist who made lasting contributions to both pure science and science education. He is particularly well known for his highly accurate determination of the charge of an electron via...

Students build electromagnets and experiment with ways to change their strength.

The MagLab has its own machine shop, complete with an experienced, talented staff. These craftsmen collaborate closely with renowned scientists to create one-of-a-kind magnet parts that make possible experiments done nowhere else in the...

An online activity which illustrates the magnetic property of diamagnetism associated with water. Contains a simple procedure and then a good explanation of the magnetic interactions that were displayed by the grapes.