Fast and Easy Science Fair Projects: Magnetic Water

The effect of water on Magnetism

Purpose: Does water affect a magnetic field?

Overview: Sound waves go through both water and air. In fact, they travel farther and faster in water than they do in air. How about magnetism? Does it go through water, too?

Hypothesis: Water has no effect on Magnetism.

You need:

• Magnet
• 2-liter plastic soda bottle
• masking tape
• metal paper clip
• 2 pencils
• string
• water
• scissors
• an adult

Procedure: Ask an adult with scissors to cut off the rounded part of a 2-liter bottle. Place a metal paper clip in the bottom of the bottle. Wrap a strip of masking tape around one end of a six-sided, not round, pencil and then number the sides. Write "1" on the tape on one side, then turn the pencil and write "2," and so on. Tie a piece of masking tape/ Tie the other end of the string to a magnet. Turn the pencil wrapping the string around it, and set it over the top of the plastic bottle. Slowly, lower the magnet into the bottle. When the magnet is close enough and captures the paper clip, stop! Notice the number on the side of the pencil.

Carefully, lift the magnet straight up without turning the pencil. Remove the paper clip, and lay it back in the bottle in the exact same spot. Fill the bottle half full with water, then slowly lower the magnet into the bottle. Be sure not to turn the pencil, so that the string length has not changed. The string length, the position of the paper clip are Constants The Variable is the substance between the magnet and the paper clip: air and water.

Does the magnet still attract the paper clip? If so, does it do so from the same distance above as it did when the bottle was filled with air instead of water?

Results and Conclusion: Write down the result of your experiment. Come to a conclusion as to whether your hypothesis was correct.

Something more: Now test magnetism using salt water, sugar water or ice water!