My son has a school project/problem about magnets. If I have two identical objects, one is a magnet and one is iron, how do I identify the magnet?
Since you have not said what the shape of the objects is, they could be spheres or horseshoes, or discs… The only way I know of to be absolutely positive is to separate the two items and break one of them into two pieces. If you break a 1,000 Gauss magnet into two pieces, you’ll have two 1,000 Gauss magnets – but the poles will instantly reverse upon breaking and the half-shelf life will reduce. Now, take the two broken pieces and get them close to each other and observe the reactions, or lack thereof. If they attract and repel each other depending on their orientation, then you have the magnet. If they do not react to each other, you have the iron.
