Exploring Materials - Ferrofluid

TYPE: Short Activities
AUDIENCE: Ages 4 - Adult
TOPIC: Nanotechnology
In this activity, learners 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.
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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.

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  • The ferrofluid activity components including the signs, guides, tubes of ferrofluid, and magnets.
  • A tube of ferrofluid with a magnet held up to it and the ferrofluid is attracted to the magnet.
  • A computer hard disk drive that has been opened and you can see the inside.
  • The surface of ferrofluid which is black, spikey (due to a magnetic field) and semi-glossy.
  • A black bookshelf stereo speaker.
  • The ferrofluid activity components including the signs, guides, tubes of ferrofluid, and magnets.
  • A tube of ferrofluid with a magnet held up to it and the ferrofluid is attracted to the magnet.
  • A computer hard disk drive that has been opened and you can see the inside.
  • The surface of ferrofluid which is black, spikey (due to a magnetic field) and semi-glossy.
  • A black bookshelf stereo speaker.

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.

JUMP TO BROWSE RELATED RESOURCES

TRAINING VIDEOS

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.

NANO CONTENT MAP

Nanometer-sized things are very small, and often behave differently than larger things do.

Nanoscience, nanotechnology, and nanoengineering lead to new knowledge and innovations that weren't possible before.

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TYPE:
Educational Resources
AUDIENCE:
Ages 4 - Adult
LANGUAGES:
English Spanish
ADDITIONAL TOPICS: Engineering and Technology Nanotechnology Physical Sciences Electricity and Magnetism
KIT: Purple NanoDays logo - the Biggest Event for the Smallest Science Browse kit
KEYWORDS:

Credits

YEAR CREATED
2008
PROJECT
OWNING INSTITUTION

Sciencenter

FUNDING

Developed for the NISE Network with funding from the National Science Foundation under Award Numbers 0532536 and 0940143. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.

PERMISSIONS

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US).
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DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

NISE Network products are developed through an iterative collaborative process that includes scientific review, peer review, and visitor evaluation in accordance with an inclusive audiences approach. Products are designed to be easily edited and adapted for different audiences under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license. To learn more, visit our Development Process page.