Magnet and Iron Filings

The magnet and iron filings demonstration visually illustrates magnetic field lines and how they interact with magnetic materials. In this setup, iron filings are sprinkled over a sheet of glass with a magnet glued underneath. The magnetic field generated by the magnet exerts forces on the small iron filings, aligning them along the field lines. As the filings align, they form distinct patterns that reveal the shape of the magnetic field, showing the direction of the field at each point. Around a bar magnet, the filings outline the characteristic field lines that curve from the magnet’s north pole to its south pole.