I recently acquired, by my estimates, a shit ton of neodymium magnets. They're around 1" by 3/4" and cylindrical in shape with 1/8 hole tunneled through. They're fucking strong and a little scary. I already have a few blood blisters

So I want to set up some fun science experiments I could do with my daughter and I'm looking for some suggestions from all you smart people. I'm thinking of buying some ferrofluid, but I think that stuff works with common magnets. Any ideas?

This is not particularly special to neodym magnets, but they would surely work very well for building a primitive electro motor out of a piece of wire and a battery.

The application of on and off pressure for a minute or so to a pinched spot of skin, will nearly eliminate blood blisters, I have found.
Have fun with the magnets though.

You can build an undulator attachment for your particle accelerator and generate an intense beam of x-rays.


Lotsa laughs at a party !!!

What ever you do, don't eat them.

Get some iron filings, perhaps by grinding down a few nails, lay them on a piece of paper with the magnet underneath it. The filings will align themselves on the magnetic lines of force. Good way to show children how even the unseeable can be seen, with a little thinking.

Like Jeebus' love ??

Whenever I play about with magnets, levitating an object always amuses me. I have a load of the magnetix sets which are pretty potent for their size, use same poles and some cotton to just hold it levitating horizontal without contacting. Ace fun and kids are naturally drawn to it because it defies all 'common sense' laws of physics that they have formed.

Or something like this would be mega cool. Build one!

Get the kids a couple litres of liquid nitrogen and let them play with super cold magnets !!

Awesome! Great ideas. I was thinking about the metal shavings thing but I couldn't figure a way to get the shavings. I don't have a bench grinder, but I'm pretty sure I have a few disc for the hand grinder left.

I just watched a video earlier of the contraption in that picture. These have pretty small holes, but I think I could find something small enough for the axle.

What happens with super cooled magnets? I know a heated magnet loses its magnetic properties, so my instinct is to guess it somehow gets stronger??