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Concerning magnets for floating ring demo, I have had good luck with inexpensive ceramic magnets from Radio Shack, catalog number 64-1888, pkg of 5 for $2.49, a little over 1 inch outside diameter. See www.radioshack.com for mail order or take a trip to your local Radio Shack store. To make them usable in our center I paint the N face of each disk red and the S face white. They are brittle and can break if abused violently. But they are strong enough to levitate on a vertical pencil (I use a board about 4 inches by 6 inches with two 5/16 inch dowels about 5 inches long a few inches apart centered on the board and five or more of these ring magnets (loose, not tethered). The visitors can stack the magnets so they levitate, or cling, or combinations, using the color-coded poles as a key hint to understanding. There might also be a concern by some about infant choking if swallowed, but the hole through the center reduces that sort of risk. Also the magnets are strong enough to levitate but not strong enough to pinch and hurt little fingers.
The website suggested by Edmonton, www.wondermagnet.com, is fascinating but I couldn't find these magnets among their ceramic offerings, and I think the supermagnet ring magnets would not only be small and expensive but also pinch-risks.
Al Read
Director, Science Discovery Center of Oneonta (NY)
-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network on behalf of Pete Wheeler
Sent: Wed 3/24/2004 12:43 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
Subject:
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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I am looking for cool magnetism experiments and dems. In particular I am trying to find some ring magnets to use for a floating ring magnet dem on a rod or piece of dowel etc. Ideally I want them to be plastic coated, big enough for kids to get hold of and experiment with, but not overly strong so that they may clamp down on someone's fingers. The only ones I can find are very small, 2 ½ to 3cm, are there any suppliers who do bigger ones? Any help on this would be great and any suggestions for other magnetic dems also appreciated.
Pete
Pete Wheeler
Kids' Science State Project Officer
Scitech Discovery Centre
Horizon - The Planetarium opening 6 April 2004
After you've seen a dome screen, everything else looks flat.
www.scitech.org.au/horizon <file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/pete/Application%20Data/Microsoft/Signatures/www.scitech.org.au/horizon>
Our Mission is to increase interest and participation by Western Australians in science and technology.
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PO Box 1155
WEST PERTH
Western Australia 6872
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