Magnet and iron rod

[Rajnish Kaushik]

If you are provided with 1 iron rod and 1 magnet rod both equal in size weight and colour then how will you find out which one is magnet and which one is iron?

Edited January 26, 2014 by Rajnish Kaushik

[Fuzzwood]

The center of the magnet is the least strong, so aim the end of one rod to the center of the other one and see which one jumps up from a greater distance apart.

[Olinguito]

Suspend them and see which one always points north–south.

Edited January 28, 2014 by Olinguito

[Rajnish Kaushik]

Suspend them and see which one always points north–south.

you did not have a string

The center of the magnet is the least strong, so aim the end of one rod to the center of the other one and see which one jumps up from a greater distance apart.

your answer is reasonable

[iNow]

you did not have a string

Then place it on a low friction surface. Over time, you should see the same result.

[Rajnish Kaushik]

Then place it on a low friction surface. Over time, you should see the same result.

no frictionless surface then............

[Ankit Gupta]

Break both of them and then see which of the rod's parts interact with each other , which shows interactions is magnet and other is iron rod

[Rajnish Kaushik]

Break both of them and then see which of the rod's parts interact with each other , which shows interactions is magnet and other is iron rod

how will you break them

[iNow]

no frictionless surface then............

I didn't say "frictionless," I said "low friction." Would you not be standing on a floor? Would the items not have been placed on a table? Do you have any critical thinking skills of your own, or do you expect us to spoon feed every answer to you one by one?

[Rajnish Kaushik]

I didn't say "frictionless," I said "low friction." Would you not be standing on a floor? Would the items not have been placed on a table? Do you have any critical thinking skills of your own, or do you expect us to spoon feed every answer to you one by one?

i already know the answer

and if you are on a rough surface

[iNow]

and if you are on a rough surface

This sentence appears to be missing a THEN clause... Did you wish to finish your thought, or would you rather leave this as an orphaned and broken sentence in its current form?

[John Cuthber]

This sentence appears to be missing a THEN clause... Did you wish to finish your thought, or would you rather leave this as an orphaned and broken sentence in its current form?

To be fair, I don't think that's what it's missing, you could include the "Then" clause...

[Olinguito]

This sentence appears to be missing a THEN clause... Did you wish to finish your thought, or would you rather leave this as an orphaned and broken sentence in its current form?

It’s called aposiopesis.

[cresol]

As simple as it is.....distinguish them through the center of each specimen or break to identify

[Rajnish Kaushik]

As simple as it is.....distinguish them through the center of each specimen or break to identify

 

As simple as it is.....distinguish them through the center of each specimen or break to identify

 

 

It’s called aposiopesis.

 

 

To be fair, I don't think that's what it's missing, you could include the "Then" clause...

 

 

This sentence appears to be missing a THEN clause... Did you wish to finish your thought, or would you rather leave this as an orphaned and broken sentence in its current form?

 

 

I didn't say "frictionless," I said "low friction." Would you not be standing on a floor? Would the items not have been placed on a table? Do you have any critical thinking skills of your own, or do you expect us to spoon feed every answer to you one by one?

the answer is in the second post

[Ankit Gupta]

how will you break them<_<

just through them on the floor or hot by any hard thing !!!

 

 

And now don't say we are not on floor or we haven't any thing

[Rajnish Kaushik]

just through them on the floor or hot by any hard thing !!!

 

 

And now don't say we are not on floor or we haven't any thing

i said answer yourself i already stated that u r not provided with anything just read 2nd post

[Ankit Gupta]

Oh I didn't knew that floor also come in 'anything' then you can hit one of them by other then you will have either both or at least one of them broken

[Rajnish Kaushik]

Oh I didn't knew that floor also come in 'anything' then you can hit one of them by other then you will have either both or at least one of them broken

just show me how will you break

[imatfaal]

Can we be a bit spherical cow in a frictionless vacuum about this question please - by which I mean lets not introduce extraneous extras till the original question has been answered to the satisfaction of all concerned. And if the OP has seen the answer that he believes is correct could he mention it explicitly - I have seen one of the answers of those that I believe are correct; I have also seen the canonical answer of the original differing question from Martin Gardner's book (which in this case is not the correct one)

 

You have two iron rods one is magnetized - how can you tell which. You have no other equipment - all you can do is manipulate the rods.

[Stetson]

Breaking the bars in half seems like a long shot. But suppose if you whacked both of the bars until one chips a sizeable piece. If the piece, when put back on, falls off then that is the iron rod. If it sticks, that it is the magnet.

 

If you're still skeptical, it might be possible to do a body test. There is iron in blood, yes? Take both rods onto your palms and wait a while. If you see a difference in redness then the reddest would most likely be the palm holding the magnet. Then reduce the variables by switching the rods between palms and try and replicate the results. If the palming holding the now suspected magnet has a greater color of red than the other, I'm sure you have found the magnet.

[imatfaal]

Breaking the bars in half seems like a long shot. But suppose if you whacked both of the bars until one chips a sizeable piece. If the piece, when put back on, falls off then that is the iron rod. If it sticks, that it is the magnet.

 

If you're still skeptical, it might be possible to do a body test. There is iron in blood, yes? Take both rods onto your palms and wait a while. If you see a difference in redness then the reddest would most likely be the palm holding the magnet. Then reduce the variables by switching the rods between palms and try and replicate the results. If the palming holding the now suspected magnet has a greater color of red than the other, I'm sure you have found the magnet.

 

If you whack a magnet enough you end up with an iron rod! Percussion will demagnetize an iron rod. This may make one of the answers I have heard given a little obvious.

 

Not sure the second idea could ever work - the actual amount of iron is pretty tiny. I think about a third of blood by weight is haemoglobin of some sort and about one percent of haemoglobin is iron.

[John Cuthber]

Why do people think hemoglobin is significantly magnetic?

[imatfaal]

Why do people think hemoglobin is significantly magnetic?

 

I think that the feeling is that all iron in whatever form is intensely magnetic and everyone knows there is iron in blood because of the publicity regarding anaemia

[John Cuthber]

That's odd, because it is actually diamagnetic.

Like water and a lot of other things, hemoglobin is repelled (weakly) by a magnet.