That’s why you can add a few paper clips to it before the entire paper clip chain gets too heavy and loses its fight with gravity. In the presence of a strong magnetic field, the paper clip becomes a temporary magnet and attract other paper clips. This means the paper clips can only become a magnet for only a small time interval. Paper clips are made of steel and can be temporarily magnetized. After all, paper clips are not naturally magnetic! Now that we know why the paper clip can levitate, let’s move on to why the paper clips can all of a sudden stick together. What that means is that you need to find the place where the force pulling the paper clip up (magnetism) is about equal to gravity pulling it down. But if you place the paper clip too far from the magnet, it will simply fall to the ground.įor the paper clip to levitate, you have to get it in the sweet spot.
If you try this experiment without the string, you will quickly realize that the magnet is so strong that the paper clip will just be stuck to it if you get it too close. When the paper clip is suspended in mid-air, the magnet is pulling it upward and gravity is pulling it downward. Then there is magnetism, which is a force that can attract or repel magnetic objects. The farther apart two objects are, the weaker their gravitational pull is. If you are on the moon, which has a much smaller mass than Earth, the gravitational pull is much less and that’s why you almost feel weightless on the moon.ĭistance also impacts gravity. Earth’s gravity exists because Earth is so massive that we are all pulled down toward it. The larger the mass, the larger the gravitational pull. Gravity is a force that pulls object toward each other. However, anything that has mass has gravity. Gravity is often associated with the Earth. There are two forces at work here: gravity and magnetism. Science Behind the Floating Paper Clip Trick Of course, my son immediately how the paper clip was not falling to the floor. I think this magnet trick just made me a cool mom. Then I really blew their minds when I added additional paper clips to the bottom of the floating one and made multiple paper clips hang in mid-air. So they were like, yes we know magnets attract paper clips, what’s the big deal.īut they couldn’t hide their excitement when they saw the paper clip levitating! I mean, the paper clip is defying gravity and just floating in mid-air. We just got the neodymium magnet and they have already been playing with it for a couple of hours.
My kids at first were not very enthusiastic about this magnet experiment. Continue until all the paper clips all to the ground!.You just need to lightly touch the paper clips to each other. Slowly attach additional paper clips to the suspended paper clip.Tape the other end of the string to the floor. Slowly lift the paper clip toward the magnet until it is suspended in mid-air.If you manage to find a metal ruler for the bridge deck, then the magnet will simply stick to it. Tape the magnet to the deck of the bridge.Ask your kids if they can make the paper clips stick to each other without hooking them (they cannot). Ask your kids if they can make paper clips levitate (they cannot).String (we used fishing line because you can barely see it and therefore helps with the illusion that the paper clip is levitating).How to Make a Paper Clip Float in the Air Materials: We just love Legos and love how we can adjust the height of the bridge if necessary. For example, you can use paper towel rolls and a ruler. All you need is to build a bridge, so you can use whatever you have around the house. Therefore, you need to get neodymium magnets or ceramic magnets for this science experiment to work.Īlso, you don’t have to use Legos for this experiment. Regular magnets just do not have enough force to attract the paper clip without touching it. Before we start, I want to point out that you need a STRONG magnet to pull off this trick.
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