Georgia S5P3.a
The Standard
Construct an argument based on experimental evidence to communicate the differences in function and purpose of an electromagnet and a magnet.
Georgia Standards of Excellence for Science · Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about magnetism and its relationship to electricity.
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students test a permanent magnet and an electromagnet under the same conditions and record what happens. They make a claim about how each works and where each is useful, then support it with test results.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student explains that a permanent magnet produces magnetic force without a circuit, while an electromagnet needs current and can be switched on or off. They use paper clip counts or circuit observations to justify which type fits a specific job.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think all metals are attracted to magnets. They may believe coiled wire is magnetic without current or that an electromagnet stays magnetic after disconnection. Some assume both magnet types always have the same strength.
How to Assess It
- Give students this data: a bar magnet lifts 6 clips at all times, while a coil magnet lifts 10 with the circuit closed and 0 when open. Ask which should lift and release metal in a sorting machine, and what two results support the choice.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Build a nail-and-wire electromagnet using a battery, test it with the circuit open and closed, then compare paper clip counts.
Write: Which is better for a scrapyard crane, a bar magnet or an electromagnet? Support your choice with two test observations.
Sort device, battery-state, and test-result cards into permanent magnet or electromagnet piles, then explain two choices to a partner.
Examine pictures of a refrigerator seal and scrapyard crane, then label why one needs constant magnetism and the other needs switchable magnetism.
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Printable S5P3.a Worksheet
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Related Standards
- S1P2.b
Plan and carry out an investigation to demonstrate how magnets attract and repel each other and the effect of magnets on common objects.
- S1P2
Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to demonstrate the effects of magnets on other magnets and other objects.
- S1P2.a
Construct an explanation of how magnets are used in everyday life.
- S8P5.a
Construct an argument using evidence to support the claim that fields (i.e., magnetic fields, gravitational fields, and electric fields) exist between objects e...
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