Exploring Materials: Ferrofluid

Add to list Go to activity
Activity link broken? See if it's at the internet archive
In this activity, learners discover that a material can act differently when it's nanometer-sized. Learners investigate the properties of ferrofluid and magnetic black sand and learn that the surprising difference in the behavior of these two materials is due to size. Use this activity to talk about the differences in nanoscale materials.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
Over $20 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 4 - adult
Resource Types:
Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English, Spanish

Materials List (per group of students)

Keywords

Subjects

  • Engineering and Technology
    • Engineering
      • Nanotechnology
  • Mathematics
    • Measurement
      • Units of Measurement
      • Size and Scale
  • Physical Sciences
    • Electricity and Magnetism
      • Electromagnetic Fields
    • States of Matter
      • Solids
      • Liquids

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Foreign language versions of this resource:

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Rights:

Funding Sources:

  • National Science Foundation, 0532536
  • National Science Foundation, 0940143