TESTING THE STRENGTH OF DIFFERENT MAGNETS
Anthony Guzzo
Cary Academy
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the experiment was to determine the strongest type of magnet. The three types of
magnets that were being tested were a neodymium magnet, a ceramic magnet, and a hematite
magnet. The hypothesis was that that the neodymium magnet would be the strongest type of
magnet. The method was that the magnets were pulled by a spring and it was measured how
much force each magnet produced when attracting to each other. One magnet was placed on a
wall and the other was attached to the spring scale. The pinkie finger was placed in between the
two magnets when the spring scale was pulled. The hypothesis was found to be determined. It
resulted that the neodymium magnet was able to produce the most amount of force with 1.6
Newton’s. The hematite magnet produced the second highest amount of force with 1 Newton,
and the ceramic magnet produced the least amount of force only with 0.1 Newton’s.
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the experiment was to determine which type of magnet was the strongest. The
three types of magnets that were tested were a neodymium magnet, a ceramic magnet, and a
hematite magnet. The hypothesis was that the neodymium magnet would be the strongest
magnet. This was because when observations of the magnets were made even though the
neodymium magnet was the smallest magnet; it seemed that it was able to attract itself to objects
easier and more often than the other magnets. The hypothesis was also made due to the
background research that was conducted. When researching there was information about the
neodymium magnet being a very strong type of magnet.
The three types of magnets that were observed were a neodymium magnet, a ceramic magnet and
a hematite magnet. All of the magnets smelled like metal and they all had no sound. The
neodymium magnet was the smallest magnet in size and the ceramic magnet was the largest in
size. The hematite magnets size was in between those two magnets. However in mass the
hematite magnet was the heaviest with a mass of 19.6 grams. The ceramic had a mass of 15.8
grams and the neodymium had a mass of 4.7 grams being the lightest magnet. Both neodymium
magnet and the ceramic magnet were round but the ceramic magnet had a hole in the middle.
The hematite magnet shape varied in different magnets. All the magnets had silverfish black
color except the hematite magnet was very shiny. The ceramic magnet felt fairly rough and the
neodymium magnet was very smooth. The hematite magnet was smooth but not as smooth as the
neodymium. The diameter of the ceramic magnet had a diameter of 3 cm, and the neodymium
magnet had a diameter of 1.1 cm. The hematite magnet had a length of 2 cm. The neodymium
magnet seemed to be the magnet that was attracting itself to objects the most.
An electric current can create a magnetic field. Some trains are even powered by a moving
magnetic field. A magnetic field begins at the north end of a magnet and stops at the south end.
The Earth has a magnetic field that is known to be in the core of the Earth. The Earth’s magnetic
poles change their location from year to year. The Sun gives out charged electric particles and
the magnetic field of the Earth acts as a shield so the particles will never strike earth. Sometimes
large amounts of particles get emitted from the Sun and then they go along the magnetic field
toward the poles and then they collide with atoms and create light. These are sometimes called
the northern lights. A compass is a tool that uses the magnetic field of Earth to tell directions.
There is a needle in the compass that is also a little magnet. A compass works because the
magnet (the needle) will try to align itself with magnetic field of the Earth. The four main
directions that a compass tells are North, South, East, and West. With a magnet only opposite
sides attract to each other. Two magnets can release magnetic forces even when the magnets are
facing each other at an angle. If iron fillings are placed onto a magnet the two places where there
would be the most fillings would be at the two poles of the magnet; north and south. Magnetism
is related to the movement of electric charges which can have many forms. A magnetic force can
also deflect objects without changing the objects speed. Magnetic fields are produced from the
movement of electric charges. When a north magnet pole is able to move because of a magnetic
field it is called a magnetic line of force. A magnetic field is the space around a magnet where
there is a magnetic force. A magnetic field will continue to exist even if a magnet is placed in it
and taken out of it. Magnets only attract some kinds of metal such as iron, steel, nickel, and
cobalt.
The electromagnetic force is one of four fundamental forces that are caused by nature. Out of the
four forces it is the second strongest force and can work over any amount of distance. The
electromagnetic force affects electrically charged particles and it also affects humans regularly. It
is the force that causes electricity, magnetism, and light. It works by holding two things into an
atom; electrons and protons. This then allows atoms to create molecules and then create chemical
reactions. Electromagnetic forces also are responsible for objects not being able to go through
one another. However this only applies to solidified objects. The electromagnetic force is related
to inverse square law. This explains that the amount of force is inversely proportional to square
of distance from the starting point.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
Materials:
• 2 Neodymium magnets
• 2 Ceramic magnets
• 2 Hematite magnets
• Spring scale
• Tape
• 3 20 cm strings
• Wall or hard surface
Method:
The control for this experiment was the ceramic magnet because it was the most commonly
found magnet.
The dependent variable or the thing that was measured for this experiment was the amount of
force each magnet could hold.
The independent variable or the thing that was being changed for the experiment was the type of
magnet that was being used.
The first step was to attach one neodymium magnet to the wall using tape and then attach the
other neodymium magnet to the middle of the string using tape. Then the two loose ends of the
string were taped together. Next that part of the string was hooked onto the spring scale. Then
the pinkie finger was placed in between the two magnets. After that the end of the spring scale
was firmly held and pulled away from the wall. The amount of force was measured until the
magnet broke away from the magnet on the wall. The amount of force was then recorded. Each
magnet was tested using the pinkie finger. The experiment was repeated with the other two
magnets. Each magnet was tested three times. When all of the tests were done the highest result
was taken for each magnet and recorded.
The purpose of the second experiment was to determine the amount of mass each magnet could
hold. The hypothesis was that the neodymium magnet could hold the most amount of mass. The
control for the experiment was the ceramic magnet. The independent variables were the type of
magnet that was tested and the amount of mass that was used. The dependent variable was the
amount of mass the magnet could hold. First a neodymium magnet was placed in the middle of a
20 cm string. Then the magnet was taped to the middle of the string. Then the two loose ends of
the string were placed together. After that another neodymium magnet was attracted to the
magnet on the string. The neodymium magnet without the string attached to it was held in the air
with the other one attracting to it while a 50, 100, 200, and 400 gram mass was hooked onto the
string. It was recorded if the magnets could hold the amount of mass or not. The experiment was
then repeated with each magnet.
The purpose of the third experiment was to find out which magnet could attract the most paper
clips when they were placed into a chain. The hypothesis was that the ceramic magnet could hold
the most paper clips in a chain. The control was the ceramic magnet. The independent variable
was the type of magnet that was tested. The dependent variable was the amount of paper clips the
magnet could hold. First the one paper clip was placed onto the ceramic magnet. Then another
paper clip was placed at the bottom of the first paper clip so it would attract to it. Then the
process was repeated until the paper clips stopped attracting to the other one. The test was
repeated with each of the other magnets. The results were then recorded.
The fourth experiment was completed to determine the farthest distance away the magnets would
attract to each other. It was hypothesized that the neodymium would be able to attract the farthest
distance away. The control for this experiment was the ceramic magnet. The independent
variable was the type of magnet. For the experiment the dependent variable was the farthest
distance away the magnets would attract to each other. First a meter stick was placed
horizontally on a flat surface with the centimeter side facing up. Then the ceramic magnets were
placed north to south so they would attract. One of them was at the end of the meter stick. The
other one was started at the other end of the meter stick and moved forward until the other
magnet started to attract to it. The distance apart the magnets were when they started to attract to
each other was recorded. The test was repeated with each magnet.
The fifth experiment was conducted to find out which magnet would slide down a meter stick the
fastest. The hypothesis was that the ceramic magnet would slide down the meter stick the fastest.
The control was the ceramic magnet. The independent variable was the type of magnet being
tested. The dependent variable was how fast the magnet slid down the meter stick. The
experiment was conducted by placing to magnets (the poles facing north to south) at the top of a
meter stick and held in place. The magnets were then dropped and it was timed how long it took
the magnets to reach the ground using a stopwatch. The test was then completed with the other
two magnets. The results were recorded.
The sixth experiment was done to find out which magnet could push the most amount of mass. It
was hypothesized that the neodymium magnet would push the most amount of mass. The control
was the ceramic magnet. The dependent variable was if the magnet could push the most amount
of mass. The independent variable was the type of magnet. First in the experiment a neodymium
magnet was attracted to a 20 gram mass. The other magnet was placed with the poles facing
north to north with the other magnet. The magnet that was not attracting to the mass was held
and pushed against the magnet attracting to the mass. It was recorded if the magnet could push
the mass or not. The experiment was repeated with a 50, 100, and 200 gram mass. Each of the
other magnets was tested using each mass.
The seventh experiment was conducted to determine how far a magnet could push the other one
when they were placed with the same poles facing each other. It was hypothesized that the
neodymium magnet could push the other one the farthest away. The controls were the ceramic
magnet and the speed the magnet was moved at. The independent variable was the type of
magnet. The dependent variable was the distance a magnet could push the other. First in the
experiment the meter stick was placed with the centimeter slide facing up on a flat surface. One
of the magnets was placed at the end of the meter stick. The other was placed 10 cm away from
the other magnet while the same poles on the magnets were facing each other. The magnets 10
cm away from the magnet at the end of the meter stick and moved toward the other one at a
constant speed and stopped at the end of the meter stick. It was measured how far the magnet
that was at the end of the meter stick moved after the other one was moved to it. Each magnet
was tested and each time the magnets were moved at a constant speed. The results were
recorded.
Amount of Force (N)
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Neodymium
Ceramic
Hematite
Type of Magnet
Figure 1: Amount of force each magnet produced
Figure 1 shows the amount of force each magnet produces when attracting to another magnet.
The amount of force was measured in Newton’s. The three types of magnet were neodymium,
ceramic, and hematite. The neodymium magnet produced the most amount of force with 1.6
Newton’s; the hematite magnet produced the second highest amount of force with 1 Newton; and
the ceramic magnet produced the least amount of force with 0.1 Newton’s. When doing this
experiment it was observed that the neodymium magnet could rip through certain types of tape
that were used.
50 gram
100 grams
200 grams
400grams
Neodymium
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Ceramic
Yes
No
No
No
Type of Magnet
Hematite
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Table 1: The amount of mass the magnets could hold
Table shows if each type of magnet could hold a certain amount of mass. The neodymium
magnet was the only magnet that could hold all of the masses. It held the 50, 100, 200, and 400
gram masses. The ceramic magnet held the least amount of mass because it could only hold the
50 gram mass. The ceramic magnet could not hold the 100, 200, and 400 gram mass. The
hematite magnet could hold the second highest amount of mass by being able to hold 50, 100,
and 200 gram masses. However it could not hold the 400 gram mass. However during the
experiment it was observed that the hematite magnet could almost hold the 400 gram mass.
Number of Paper Clips Held
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Neodymium
Ceramic
Hematite
Type of Manget
Figure 2: Number of paper clips each magnet could hold
Figure 2 shows the number of paper clips each magnet could hold when the paper clips were in
chain. The neodymium and the hematite magnet both held the most amount of paper clips with a
total of 3 paper clips each. The ceramic magnet held the smallest amount of paper clips with only
being able to hold 2 paper clips even though it is the biggest magnet. It was observed that even
though the hematite magnet and neodymium magnet both held 3 paperclips. The neodymium
magnet had a stronger pull on the third clip than the hematite magnet did.
Distance Apart the Magnets
could Attract (cm)
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Neodymium
Ceramc
Hematite
Type of Magnet
Figure 3: Distance apart the magnets could attract to each other
Figure 3 shows the distance apart each magnet could attract to the other. The neodymium could
attract when the farthest away with a distance of 4.5 cm. The hematite could attract from the
second farthest away with 3.2 cm, and the ceramic magnet could attract from the least distance
away with 1.3 cm. During the experiment the ceramic magnets went very slowly when attracting
to each other unlike the neodymium magnet which attracted very quickly.
Type of Magnet
Neodymium
Time to Slide Down the Meter Stick (sec)
Infinity (did not slide)
Ceramic
Hematite
0.73
Infinity (did not slide)
Table 2: How fast the magnets went down the meter stick
Table 4 shows the time it took the magnets to slide down the meter stick. Both the neodymium
magnet did not slide at all. The ceramic magnet took 0.73 seconds to reach the ground from the
top of the meter stick. However when the meter was shaken with the hematite magnets on it the
magnets started to move a little bit; and when the meter stick was shaken with the neodymium
magnets on they did not move at all and stood in their location.
20 gram
50 gram
100 gram
200 gram
Neodymium
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Ceramic
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Hematite
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Type of Magnet
Table 3: If the magnet can push the amount of mass
Table 2 shows if the magnet can push the amount of mass. Both the neodymium and the hematite
magnets could push all the masses with being able to push a 20 gram, 50 gram, 100 gram, and
200 gram mass. The ceramic could push the all of the masses except for the 200gram mass. It
How Far the Magnet Slid (cm)
pushed the 20 gram, 50 gram, and 100 gram masses.
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Neodymium
Ceramic
Hematite
Type of Magnet
Figure 4: How far each magnet slid
Figure 4 shows the distance each magnet slid. The neodymium magnet slid the farthest with a
distance of 8.5 cm. The hematite magnet slid the second farthest with 4 cm and the ceramic
magnet slid the least with 3.5 cm. During the experiment it was observed that the neodymium
magnet seemed to slide the farthest also because it was the smallest and the smoothest so it had
the least amount of friction.
CONCLUSIONS
For the first experiment the hypothesis was found to be correct. The neodymium magnet
produced the most amount of force as it was hypothesized. A reason that this was found to be
correct was in the neodymium magnet generally produces a stronger magnetic force than the
metal in the other magnets.
In the second experiment that the neodymium magnet could hold the most amount of mass was
found to be correct. A reason that this could have happened is because the other magnets are not
as defined or solid as this magnet so it was able to have more of it attracting to each other.
The hypothesis in the third experiment was found to be incorrect; the neodymium magnet and
the hematite magnet were both able to attract the same amount of paperclips. It was inferred that
that the reason these results were determined was because both the hematite magnet and the
neodymium magnet are more solid than the ceramic magnet so the paper clips could attract to
them better.
The fourth experiments hypothesis was determined. The neodymium magnet was found to be
able to attract when the farthest distance away. The reason that this happened could have been
that the neodymium magnet even though it was one of the most solid; it was still one of the
smallest so it wouldn’t have as much friction a the other magnets therefor it would be able to
come to each other when the farthest away.
In the fifth experiment the hypothesis was determined to be correct. The ceramic magnet did
slide down the meters stick the fastest. It was inferred that this was because the ceramic magnet
does not produce as much magnetic force as the other magnets.
The sixth experiments hypothesis was found to be incorrect. It was hypothesized that the
neodymium magnet would be able to push the most amount of mass but resulted that both the
hematite magnet and the neodymium magnet pushed the same amount of mass. It was then
inferred that both the magnets pushed the same amount of mass was because the amount of mass
was in the middle of the neodymium magnets force limits but at the end of the hematite’s so the
hematite was barely able to push it.
The hypothesis in the seventh experiment was confirmed. The neodymium magnet was able to
slide the farthest. A reason that this could have been is because it is the smallest in size so there
would not be as much friction acting onto the magnet as it was sliding on the table. It was also
one of the lightest magnets so it would be able to go farther than the other magnets that were
being tested.
Improvements that could have been made to the experiments that were conducted were for the
first experiment the magnets could have been glued to the walls and the string instead of being
taped. Therefor there would be no barrier in between the two magnets that could affect the
experiment. In the sixth experiment the masses should not have metal so the magnets would not
be attracted to the masses so they would not pull on the masses more hence affecting the
experiment. A future experiment that could be conducted would to see if two magnets attracting
to each with a surface in between; could break the surface if one of them was pulled away from
the other and the surface stayed in place. Another could be to test which type of magnets sizzle
when they are dropped together.
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Teacher Wraparound Edition. Columbus: Glencoe Science, 2002. Print.
Radishofski, Amy. “What is Electromagnetic Force?” wiseGEEK. Conjecture Corporation, 2003.
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