Is pencil lead magnetic?
Is pencil lead magnetic?
(OP)
Hello,
I searched pencil lead and magnetic because my second graders just brought me magnets with pieces of pencil lead attached showing that at least this pencil lead is magnetic. They, and I, wanted to know how. Your site/posts came up. OK, I'm not really an engineer like ya'll are, but try teaching a room full of wriggly, excited 7 year-olds and see how much "engineering" it takes! :) Anyway, from your posts it seems there could be several reasons, from iron in the graphite to iron particles coming off the forming machines. I just wondered if you had found a definitive answer. The children and I eagerly await your answer.
Thanks
Jori
PS I did want to be a human factors engineer 40 years ago but alas it wasn't encouraged for girls back then.
I searched pencil lead and magnetic because my second graders just brought me magnets with pieces of pencil lead attached showing that at least this pencil lead is magnetic. They, and I, wanted to know how. Your site/posts came up. OK, I'm not really an engineer like ya'll are, but try teaching a room full of wriggly, excited 7 year-olds and see how much "engineering" it takes! :) Anyway, from your posts it seems there could be several reasons, from iron in the graphite to iron particles coming off the forming machines. I just wondered if you had found a definitive answer. The children and I eagerly await your answer.
Thanks
Jori
PS I did want to be a human factors engineer 40 years ago but alas it wasn't encouraged for girls back then.





RE: Is pencil lead magnetic?
Clay can contain iron.
So I'd guess that depending on the clay used pencil lead may or may not be magnetic.
Could be some opportunities for classroom experiments here.
See if you can find examples of magnetic and non-magnetic pencil lead.
Get some graphite powder and see if it is magnetic.
See if you can find some magnetic and non-magnetic clay.
Mix graphite and clay and make your own pencil lead.
Does mixing non-magnetic graphite with non-magnetic clay cause the mixture to become magnetic?
Etc.
RE: Is pencil lead magnetic?
Two sources you can get a bit of ferromagnetism (generally, not scientifically, refers to magnetic): 1. Fe impurity, 2. grain boundary disorder from super small graphite particle.
RE: Is pencil lead magnetic?
Dik
RE: Is pencil lead magnetic?
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
RE: Is pencil lead magnetic?
Plus this:
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=307702
RE: Is pencil lead magnetic?
RE: Is pencil lead magnetic?
TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg
FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies forum1529: Translation Assistance for Engineers
RE: Is pencil lead magnetic?
There are may 'inkless pens' or 'everlasting pencils' on the market that use metal tips, these are mostly lead alloys. The mark that they leave is mostly metal oxide.
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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube