Magnetic Materials · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

What Sticks to a Magnet

Science · Forces & Motion · ages 7-8
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Two magnets can pull together without touching each other.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. Which of these will a magnet attract?

    • A glass marble
    • A rubber ball
    • An iron nail

  3. Which one will stick to a magnet?

    • A nickel coin
    • A copper coin
    • A wooden bead

  4. Which material will NOT stick to a magnet?

    • Iron nail
    • Copper wire
    • Nickel coin

  5. A magnet would pick up everything in this pile: a steel spoon, a plastic comb, and an iron nail.

    Circle one:   True   False

  6. Ben's magnet picked up 4 steel paperclips and 2 iron nails. How many objects did it pick up in all?

    Answer: ______________

  7. Mia's two magnets push apart when she brings them close. What is happening?

    • They are attracting
    • They are repelling
    • They stopped being magnets

  8. Sam tested six objects with a magnet. Four stuck. How many did not stick?

    Stuck4Not stuck2

    Answer: ______________

  9. Two paper clips look exactly the same gray. The magnet pulls one but not the other. What does that tell you?

    • One is a magnetic metal and one is not; looks cannot tell you which
    • The magnet is broken
    • Gray metal always sticks to a magnet

  10. Tom holds a magnet right against a copper bracelet. Nothing happens. Why not?

    • The magnet is broken
    • The bracelet is too heavy
    • Copper is not a magnetic material
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

What Sticks to a Magnet W1-mt_9NvuqZKNiV-s1

  1. True · Magnets attract across a gap. Snapping together is a pull that works without touching first.
  2. An iron nail · Iron is on the magnet's list. Glass and rubber never stick, no matter how close the magnet gets.
  3. A nickel coin · Nickel is on the magnet's list. Copper is a metal but not a magnetic one, and wood never sticks.
  4. Copper wire · Copper is a metal, but it is not one of the materials a magnet pulls.
  5. False · The steel spoon and the iron nail stick, but the plastic comb stays put, so the magnet does not pick up everything.
  6. 6 · Four paperclips plus two nails is six objects.
  7. They are repelling · When magnets push away from each other, they are repelling.
  8. 2 · Six objects total, and four stuck, so six minus four leaves two that did not stick.
  9. One is a magnetic metal and one is not; looks cannot tell you which · Same color, different result. Only the magnet test shows which clip is a magnetic metal.
  10. Copper is not a magnetic material · Even touching does not help. Copper is never on the magnet's list, so it cannot stick.
Worksheet · LightMySky