The 120mm (5") bar magnet is great for experiments with iron filings, compasses or paperclips- buy 2 for a repulsion/attraction pair. ;This is the ideal child safe magnet. It's strong enough to pick up paper clips or do repulsion attraction but not so strong they snap together & break kids' fingers.
See our blog: Magnet Experiments for Kids that describes some simple experiments. Handy accessories for these magnets include this simple iron filings viewer. Or watch this video of a magnaprobe in action that shows how to identify a magnetic field around a bar magnet.
Two 120x22x10mm bar magnets were placed in contact with opposing poles (N:N). They were released and the repulsion distance was measured. The average of 5 trials is 52mm or slightly more than 2 inches. See video below.
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5
Average
50mm
53mm
56mm
55mm
55mm
52mm
Paperclip Pickup Test
Forty paper clips were placed in a 500ml beaker. A single 120x22x10mm ferrite bar magnet was dipped into the beaker to pick up as many paper clips as possible. See video below.
Type
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5
Average
Uncoated Steel
38
38
40
36
35
37
Plastic Coated Steel
19
19
12
17
20
17
Magnet Experiment Video
Note, there is no audio track.
Watch Indigo Magnet Surfer Guy go on a wild ride:
Note:The bar magnets got a big boost by attaching 20x10x5mm Nd blocks at opposing faces of the bar magnets.
Specifications
Use for repulsion-attraction
Will not demagnetize when pushed together
Stamped "N" & "S" & painted red & blue respectively
Paint is guaranteed lead & heavy metal free
Will pick up minimum of 20 uncoated paperclips
Note (1): Ferrite bars are fragile/brittle. Do not drop on hard floors.
Note (2): Ferrite bars are relatively weak & will not magnetize nails or pins. Stronger magnets such as Nd or Alnico are best for this application.
Reviews (4)
2022-03-14
The product is good and I want to buy more
— Wendy
— Indigo:
Glad you liked them. If you are teaching, a great accessory for these magnets is the Magnaprobe.
2021-10-05
I ordered these magnets to use for "polarity-confirming" on unmarked small spot-magnets that I use for my hobbies and for our healthcare disk-magnets. They work perfectly in those applications and are totally suitable for our purposes. Thank You for the great product and the great deal, Indigo!
— Cat Daddy
— Indigo:
Thanks for the feedback. Always nice to hear someone has an application we never thought of. For those with more conventional educational needs, see our blog: Ferrite Bar Magnets, 3 Experiments at School/Home
2017-08-15
This pair of bar magnets is polarized on the narrow ends and effective in traditional, simple experiments with magnetism and electro-magnetic induction using coils. Beware of other magnets for sale on the Internet that appear to be a traditional bar, but whose poles are on the long side of the bar and not the narrow ends.
— John
2017-04-20
Excellent product! We used them for experiments with kids and they each held a chain of at least 15 paper clips. Made our experiment come to life and the teaching element was awesome. BEST MAGNETS OUT THERE!
— Janelle
— Indigo: Hope they were plastic coated paper clips or we'll have to retest!
Related Products
For each Related Product, enter the quantity you would like to order and click the Add to Cart button beside the item.
Glad you liked them. If you are teaching, a great accessory for these magnets is the Magnaprobe.