Magnetic Showdown: N35, N42, N52 in a High School Science Adventure
Magnetic Showdown: N35, N42, N52 in a High School Science Adventure
Blog Article
Have you ever wondered about how much of a great force those very small neodymium magnets possess? A brief online research gives you such mystical codes as N35, N42, and N52, which seem to be telling each other “I’m the strongest one here!” But here’s the thing, without a fancy gaussmeter, how are we, the regular people, to figure out which one is it then? Don’t panic, I’m the right person for this. As just a regular high school student employing only a few magnets, a bunch of paperclips, and a double helping of curiosity, I’ve taken on the task of a magnetic fight. I would like to express my immense gratitude to the TOPMAG company who donated the N35, N42, and N52 samples, without which the entire scientific project of mine would not have been feasible!
Meet the Magnetic Contenders
Today our stars are three cylindrical neodymium magnets. Each of them is 10 mm in diameter and 5 mm in thickness. They are similar in appearance, but are they similar from the inside? Oh no, each of them is a completely unique story! N35 alias the beginner, N42 the very solid middleweight, N52 - the so-called "superhero" of the magnet world. In the absence of a gaussmeter there is no difficulty. I went for four entertaining experiments using paperclips, iron filings, as well as a sprinkle of patience to check out their real strengths.
Round One: The Paperclip Challenge
I decided to start with a test that was not going to be difficult: who could “charm” the most number of paperclips. I clamped each magnet to a wooden stand and placed it 5 mm above an iron plate and then I began hanging paperclips one by one until they fell. The outcome? N35 topped out at 12, looking a bit dead; N42 got through quite well with 18; while N52 simply went up to 25! This one sounded like a paperclip-talking leader. I conducted the test in three rounds and I got the averages, and in the end, N52 became the winner. The order of strength of the magnets was beginning to stand out!
Round Two: Push Me Away
What do you think of a new challenge test? I placed two similar magnets (in grade) that had an N polarity on a table, a 1 cm apart, and then released them to see how far they pushed each other. N35 only traveled 2 cm which was a very short distance and stopped. Then, N42 put a good one with 3.5 cm in the game. However, N52 was an entirely different story. The magnet said, “I am the king here!” and OH, it was so fast to get to 5 cm! The ruler in my hand was trembling as I was measuring—I couldn't believe that it had so much power. A glass surface was used to reduce friction and to make it fair, and N52 still came out on top.
Round Three: Who’s the Strongest?
It might be nice inducing the charm of paperclips and getting rid of your opponents, however, I needed to try them a little further. I have taken a few small bolts and withEva with the help of some magnets, I started to add a small weight, 10 grams per each. At this time it was my experiment to find out how a particular group of metals could work well. N35 was the first one who said "I quit!" immediately after I lifted up to 150 grams, N42 was left behind and still supported the load of 220 grams, and N52—you know, never, and yet, to the present day—managed to pull up to as high as 300 grams! It's the real champion in the magnet picker's club. One learning is about a flat contact surface. Once the bolt was tilting, N52 kind of "screwed up," and I went back to repeat the test a lot of times.
Round Four: Iron Filing Art Gallery
In the last activity, I played with creativity. Around each magnet, I dropped iron filings, then put on plastic film to cover them and took their “magnetic portraits” using the camera. The field lines of N35 are kind of sporadic, like a shy drawing, while those of N42 are denser, constituting more of an inked pattern. As for N52, you’d be highly impressed as the alignment of the filings there is so much as to form a thick and sticky piece, truly a declaration of a masterpiece. I even went so far as to use a compass to confirm, and N52’s power of attraction outshone N35’s by 2 cm. Talk of the tremendous impact it has!
Oops Moment: Near Misses
Of course, everything did not go according to plan. N52y was so powerful, that it pinched me once - it was almost my finger. I removed it well away from the phone after someone told me magnetic materials can be harmful to the device not to run the risk of my “dear” being gone! Once, I put so much iron filings that I had problems with the cleaning later - it looked like a crime scene. So, I breathed a sigh of relief having the plastic cover, otherwise, my mom would have definitely believed that I was destroying the room.
And the Winner Is…
It was a real thriller from the start but N52 didn't slip the lead and eventually was crowned the winner stylishly. N42 has Saturday feeling, and N35 had only to be a supporter. It was like a light turned on above my head: the numeric grades not only mean the nth parameter but also the power ratio is shown in that way. I was thinking something else, though as temperatures are vital in the process. From a website, I learned that one of neodymium magnets quitted working above 80°C. This is why I am a very lucky person; my place was cold, otherwise, the match should be continued. Report this page