Freddie’s Magnet Maze

Freddie’s paper boat has stopped in the middle of his cardboard maze. His fingers cannot reach it without knocking a wall down. Elsie suggests steering from underneath. Dad brings two large enclosed bar magnets. “Could a force reach the boat without our hands touching it?” Freddie wonders.

Dad tapes one magnet securely to the lightweight paper boat. The other will stay in Freddie’s hand beneath the thin cardboard base. They use large school magnets, not tiny loose ones. The colours mark their ends, but the paint itself does not cause the magnetic effect.

Freddie moves his hand magnet below the base. The boat follows above it. A magnetic force acts through the thin cardboard, without direct contact between the magnets. He moves slowly so the boat does not catch against a maze wall. Elsie watches the route from above.

At the next corner, Freddie turns his hand too quickly. The boat spins and bumps the wall. “The force is not a perfect steering wheel,” Elsie says. They try smaller movements. Distance and magnet orientation affect the pull, and friction between the boat and base resists its movement.

Dad pauses the game for a comparison. When opposite poles face, the two magnets attract. Freddie feels the pull as Dad controls them above the table. Each bar has two poles. Dad keeps the magnets whole and safely enclosed while they compare the two ends.

They turn one magnet so like poles face. Now the magnets repel, pushing away without touching. A gap remains between them. Freddie realises that magnetic forces can push as well as pull. They repeat with the same ends facing to check that this was not an accidental nudge.

Back at the maze, Freddie chooses an orientation that attracts the boat magnet from below. Elsie gives directions while he makes gentle movements. They do not need to push the boat through the walls. Their comparison helped them decide how to use the force for this particular game.

The boat reaches its paper harbour. Dad checks that the magnets are still securely enclosed before they pack away. “We solved it without reaching over,” Freddie says. Elsie asks whether a thicker base would change the game. Their successful voyage has left them with another question worth testing.