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Grade 6 Beginner About 10 min Version 1 Awaiting review Premium

Separating iron filings from sand with a magnet

Different substances in a mixture keep their own properties. Iron is attracted to a magnet, but sand is not. Holding a magnet over a mixture of the two pulls the iron filings out and leaves the sand behind. This only works when one part of the mixture is magnetic.

What you will learn

  • Separate iron filings from sand using a magnet.
  • Explain that magnetic separation works because only iron is attracted to the magnet.
  • Recognise mixtures that a magnet cannot separate.

Before you start

  • Know that some materials are attracted to magnets.

Materials

  • Sand
  • Iron filings
  • Table salt

Equipment

  • 3 dishes
  • Bar magnet (wrapped in a plastic bag)
  • Stirring rod

Procedure

  1. Add sand and iron filings to Dish A and stir to mix them.
  2. Use the magnet on Dish A and drop what it picks up into Dish B.
  3. Add salt and sand to Dish C, stir, and try the magnet on Dish C too.

How this simulation is simplified

  • The magnet picks up every iron filing in one go. In real life a few filings may need a second pass.