Exploring Materials - Ferrofluid (NanoDays 08, 09, 10)

Last update: January 23, 2010

Overview

Description

"Exploring Materials - Ferrofluid" is a hands-on activity demonstrating that a material can act differently when it's nanometer-sized. Visitors investigate the properties of ferrofluid and magnetic black sand, learning that the surprising difference in the behavior of these two materials is due to size.

Objectives

Big Idea

A material can act differently when it's nanometer-sized.

Learning goals

A material can act differently when it’s nanometer-sized.

Audience: All ages

Nano Topics: Fundamentals, Materials, tools, and applications

Credits

Organization

Sciencenter

Attributed to

This activity was adapted from the “Quick Reference Activity Guide: Ferrofluids,” developed by the National Science Foundation-supported Internships in Public Science Education (IPSE) Program at the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) on Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The original activity is available at: mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/IPSE/educators/ferrofluid.html

Photo of ferrofluid courtesy Opoterser. From Wikimedia Commons.

Developed for the NISE Network with funding from the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement #ESI-0532536. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

Permissions

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
You are free to copy, distribute, transmit or remix this work as long as you credit the work as specified.

Checklist

Scientist reviewed check_reviewed

Peer reviewed check_reviewed

Visitor evaluation check_reviewed

Permissions

Creative Commons - Attribution (recommended for NISE Network products)

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
You are free to copy, distribute, transmit or remix this work as long as you credit the work as specified.

Instructions

Program-specific background

See "Resources" tab for program guide and any supporting materials

Universal Design

The following features of the program's design make it accessible

Provide physical and sensory access to all aspects of the program. Visitors can touch, see and hear different elements of the program.

To give an inclusive presentation of this program

No information available

6 Resources

Ferrofluid program resources

Document, added on 08-04-2008

ExplFF_MaterialsSources.doc

26 KB

FF-200MSDS.pdf

483.73 KB

MatsFerro_guide_01Dec09.doc

3.37 MB

MatsFerro_guide_01Dec09.pdf

3.78 MB

MatsFerro_sign_01Dec09.doc

2.92 MB

MatsFerro_sign_01Dec09.pdf

2.93 MB

1 Evaluations