Year 5 Science: Materials and magnets
Part of the Year 5 Science properties and uses of materials chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Materials and magnets
A magnet pulls some materials towards it. These are magnetic materials. Iron and steel are magnetic. Most other materials, including copper, aluminium, wood, plastic, glass and rubber, are not magnetic, and a magnet does not pull them.
A magnet can pull a magnetic material towards it across a small gap. It does not need to be touching it.
The table shows which materials are pulled by a magnet in a fair test.
| Material | See-through? | Conducts electricity? | Conducts heat? | Pulled by a magnet? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iron nail | no | yes | yes | yes |
| aluminium foil | no | yes | yes | no |
| copper wire | no | yes | yes | no |
| clear glass | yes | no | no | no |
| clear plastic bottle | yes | no | no | no |
| wooden block | no | no | no | no |
| rubber band | no | no | no | no |
Key ideas
- Iron and steel are magnetic materials.
- A magnet pulls a magnetic material towards it.
- Copper, aluminium, wood, plastic, glass and rubber are not pulled by a magnet.
- A magnet can pull a magnetic material across a small gap.
Method. Read the magnet column.
- Read the rows. The iron nail row says yes, and the aluminium foil row says no.yes and no
- Choose the magnetic one. So the material pulled by a magnet is the iron nail.iron nail
- Write the answer. iron nail
Check. Iron is a magnetic material. ✓
Method. Count the yes rows in the magnet column.
- Read the column. Only the iron nail row says yes.one yes row
- Count them. So one material is pulled by a magnet.1
- Write the answer. 1
Check. Only iron is pulled among these seven materials. ✓
Method. Read the magnet column for copper wire.
- Read the row. The copper wire row says no for pulled by a magnet.no
- Decide. So copper wire is not magnetic.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Copper is a metal, but it is not magnetic. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: not all metals are magnetic. Copper and aluminium are metals, but a magnet does not pull them.
Try it (with your teacher). With your teacher, put a bar magnet near a set of small objects: an iron nail, a copper coin, an aluminium foil ball, a plastic bead and a rubber band. Record which objects the magnet pulls. Keep magnets away from phones and bank cards.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “Which objects did the magnet pull? Which were not pulled? Are they all metal?” Let your child sort the objects into two groups.
Exercise 5D Materials and magnets
Method. Read the magnet column.
- Read the column. The iron nail row says yes for pulled by a magnet.yes
- Name it. So the magnetic material is the iron nail.iron nail
- Write the answer. iron nail
Check. Iron is magnetic. ✓
Method. Read the row for aluminium foil.
- Read the row. The aluminium foil row says no for pulled by a magnet.no
- Decide. So aluminium foil is not magnetic.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Aluminium is a metal, but it is not magnetic. ✓
Method. Read the row for the wooden block.
- Read the row. The wooden block row says no.no
- Decide. So a wooden block is not magnetic.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Wood is not pulled by a magnet. ✓
Method. Read the key ideas in section 5.4.
- Read the key idea. A magnet pulls a magnetic material towards it.magnetic material
- Fill the gap. So the missing word is magnetic.magnetic
- Write the answer. magnetic
Check. Magnetic materials include iron and steel. ✓
Method. Read the key ideas.
- Read the key idea. Iron and steel are magnetic materials.iron and steel
- Name one. One of these is iron.iron
- Write the answer. iron
Check. Accept iron or steel. ✓
Method. Count the rows that say no in the magnet column.
- Read the column. Only the iron nail says yes, so the other six say no.six no rows
- Count them. So six materials are not pulled by a magnet.6
- Write the answer. 6
Check. Seven materials, one magnetic, so six are not. ✓
Method. Read the row for copper wire.
- Read the row. The copper wire row says no for pulled by a magnet.no
- Decide. So copper is not magnetic.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Copper conducts electricity, but it is not magnetic. ✓
Method. Look at the metals in the table.
- Look at the metals. The aluminium foil and copper wire are metals, but a magnet does not pull them.not pulled
- Decide. So Tom is not right.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Only some metals, such as iron and steel, are magnetic. ✓
Method. Think about magnetic materials.
- Think about steel. Steel is a magnetic material.steel is magnetic
- Make the prediction. So a magnet will pull a steel paperclip.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Test your prediction with your teacher. ✓
Method. Think about the two materials.
- Think about the nail. Iron is magnetic, so the magnet pulls it, even across a gap.magnetic
- Think about the wire. Copper is not magnetic, so the magnet cannot pull it.not magnetic
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says iron is a magnetic material, so the magnet pulls it, but copper is not magnetic, so it is not pulled.
Check. Only magnetic materials are pulled by a magnet. ✓