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Science and Technology K–6 · Year 4

Does a magnet pull through paper, plastic, wood and aluminium?

Science understanding: Physical sciences

PracticalLow risk

The idea

A magnet exerts a force without touching, the force passes through non-magnetic materials, and it weakens as the distance grows.

What you need

  • 1 ferrite bar magnet (not a neodymium magnet)
  • steel paper clips
  • sheets to test: 80 gsm copy paper, about 100 sheets (about 0.1 mm per sheet), thin card, a plastic lid, a 3 mm plywood offcut, aluminium foil, a steel lid
  • ruler in millimetres
  • recording table

How to do it

  1. Lay one paper clip on the bench and bring the magnet down onto a single sheet of paper laid over the clip. Lift the paper: does the clip come with it?
  2. Add sheets one at a time until the clip is no longer lifted. Record the number of sheets. Repeat three times.
  3. Measure the thickness of that stack in millimetres: this is the largest distance through which this magnet lifts one clip.
  4. Repeat the lift test through the card, plastic lid, plywood, foil and the steel lid (one layer each) and record lift or no lift.
  5. Test a second magnet the same way and compare the number of sheets.
  6. Rank the materials: which let the force through, and which one did not.

What you should see

Paper, card, plastic, plywood and aluminium foil all let the force through: the clip lifts as long as the total thickness is below the magnet's reach. The steel lid is different: it is attracted itself and carries much of the magnet's field, so the clip beneath is lifted weakly or not at all. The number of sheets converts to a reach in millimetres (80 gsm copy paper is about 0.1 mm per sheet), and a stronger magnet reaches through more sheets. The force falls off steeply with distance, which is why the drop from lift to no lift happens over a sheet or two.

What changes

What you change
material between magnet and clip, then thickness
What you measure
whether the clip lifts; the greatest thickness that still lifts it
What you keep the same
  • same magnet
  • same clip
  • same pole facing down

Common misconceptions

Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.

  • Magnets stick to any metal (they attract iron, steel, nickel and cobalt, not aluminium or copper).
  • Paper stops magnetism.
  • A magnet pulls just as hard from any distance.

Safety card

Low riskLearners carry it out

Hazards

  • magnets pinching fingers
  • swallowing hazard for small magnets

Controls

  • ferrite bar magnets only, no small neodymium magnets
  • keep magnets away from phones and cards

Note

Risk assessment before the lesson using Primary RiskAssess or the school's own template.

Curriculum references

The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.

  • Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2017), current, taught until 2026; code read from the syllabus document on 22 September 2026ST2-9PW-STST2-1WS-S
  • Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2024), implemented from 2027; NESA's timeline is 2026 plan and prepare and 2027 start teaching, and schools may choose to implement it during 2026; code read from the outcomes page on 22 September 2026ST2-DAT-01
  • Australian Curriculum v9AC9S4U03AC9S4I02AC9S4I03AC9S4I04

Sources

The pages the author read to write this activity.

  1. www.scootle.edu.au/ec/search?accContentId=AC9S4U03
  2. curriculum.nsw.edu.au/learning-areas/science/science-and-technology-k-6-2024/outcomes
  3. www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/science/science-and-technology-k-6-2017
  4. primaryconnections.org.au/v84-sequences/magnetic-moves
  5. spark.iop.org/experiments-magnets

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