Exploring Magnetic Materials for 9th Graders: Zinc vs. Stainless Steel Fasteners

[SDTK]

I am putting together a hands on activity for ninth graders, which will include testing different materials to determine whether they are attracted to a magnet.
I have collected fasteners (screws, nails, bolts), and surprised that the fasteners I purchased labeled "zinc" are attracted to the magnet, but the "stainless" fasteners are not.
Can anyone offer insight?
---- Are zinc screws/bolts coated with magnetic material?
--- Does stainless steel not contain iron?

 

[NFuller]

---- Are zinc screws/bolts coated with magnetic material?

Some materials are galvanized meaning that they are coated with a layer of zinc. The fasteners are probably made of steel and have been galvanized to prevent them from rusting.

Does stainless steel not contain iron?

Some types of stainless steel are not magnetic while other types are. It depends on the atomic structure of the metal. The stainless steel you have is probably austenitic rather than ferritic stainless steel, so it is not magnetic.

Just because something contains iron does not make it magnetic. Rust in the form of Fe2O3 is barely magnetic, even though it is mostly iron.

 

[SDTK]

Some materials are galvanized meaning that they are coated with a layer of zinc. The fasteners are probably made of steel and have been galvanized to prevent them from rusting.

Some types of stainless steel are not magnetic while other types are. It depends on the atomic structure of the metal. The stainless steel you have is probably austenitic rather than ferritic stainless steel, so it is not magnetic.

Just because something contains iron does not make it magnetic. Rust in the form of Fe2O3 is barely magnetic, even though it is mostly iron.

Thank you. This helps!

If I have a very strong magnet, could I possibly use it to attract a US nickle? ( The coins are 75% copper, 25% nickle)

 

[NFuller]

If I have a very strong magnet, could I possibly use it to attract a US nickle? ( The coins are 75% copper, 25% nickle)

Although nickel is a ferromagnetic metal, US nickels are not very magnetic. With a strong enough magnet however, you may be able to get a noticeable force on the coin.

 

[ZapperZ]

Thank you. This helps!

If I have a very strong magnet, could I possibly use it to attract a US nickle? ( The coins are 75% copper, 25% nickle)

With a "very strong" magnetic field, you can even levitate a frog!

At this point, you should be having some quantitative numbers to consider if it can be done, rather than putting out unspecified possibilities. Anything in a strong enough magnetic field can be induced to have some amount of magnetization. But I doubt if you have anything approaching 4 Tesla sitting anywhere that you can easily access.

Zz.

 

[SDTK]

With a "very strong" magnetic field, you can even levitate a frog!

At this point, you should be having some quantitative numbers to consider if it can be done, rather than putting out unspecified possibilities. Anything in a strong enough magnetic field can be induced to have some amount of magnetization. But I doubt if you have anything approaching 4 Tesla sitting anywhere that you can easily access.

Zz.

No, ... don't have anything that strong sitting around, but I may quote your frog comment to my students :-)

 

[SDTK]

Although nickel is a ferromagnetic metal, US nickels are not very magnetic. With a strong enough magnet however, you may be able to get a noticeable force on the coin.

thanks your comments are very helpful :-)

 

[Nidum]

Suspend any small objects made from weakly magnetic material on threads .

 

[Vanadium 50]

If I have a very strong magnet, could I possibly use it to attract a US nickle? ( The coins are 75% copper, 25% nickle)

Magnetism is not a property of nickel atoms, but rather of bulk nickel. The alloy used in US nickel is quite non-magnetic.