finding iron in breakfast cereal
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finding iron in breakfast cereal
Hi, my prek class and I did a science fair experiment today trying to see if breakfast cereals contained anything in them that would make it stick to a magnet (iron). I blended 1 cup of cereal to 1 cup of water to make a liquid. I poured the liquid in a plastic bottle that I taped a cow magnet to. i tested four different kinds of cereal. Nothing stuck to the magnet. Did I do something wrong? Should I try a different magnet? any insight would be great!
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Re: finding iron in breakfast cereal
Hi torivessicchio,
Your experiment turned out the way I would expect it to. While it is true that the nutrition facts on cereals often list an amount of iron (e.g., 25 %DV), this does not mean that cereals will be magnetic. Our bodies, for example, also contain iron, but magnets do not stick to us. The way that atoms of ion bond to other elements controls whether or not an iron-bearing material will be magnetic For example, iron metal is magnetic because of the way its electrons can behave.
Your experiment turned out the way I would expect it to. While it is true that the nutrition facts on cereals often list an amount of iron (e.g., 25 %DV), this does not mean that cereals will be magnetic. Our bodies, for example, also contain iron, but magnets do not stick to us. The way that atoms of ion bond to other elements controls whether or not an iron-bearing material will be magnetic For example, iron metal is magnetic because of the way its electrons can behave.
All the best,
Terik
Terik