Floating Paperclip Compass Experiment (by request) @wbreslyn

Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

Here's how to make a floating paperclip compass using just a magnet, a paperclip, and a bowl of water. By stroking a paperclip along a magnet, the paperclip becomes magnetized. When floated on water, the paperclip aligns with Earth's magnetic field, pointing north and south—just like a real compass.

This simple experiment builds on the idea of floating a paperclip on water, which uses surface tension, and takes it a step further to explore magnetism and Earth's magnetic field. It's a quick demo with a visual explanation of how a floating paperclip can act as a compass.

Here's a longer video about why the paperclip floats:
youtu.be/-BncsnbiRMc

Thanks for suggesting this, David!

Floating Paperclip Compass Experiment (by request)

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$Convert 7.0 L to mL (7 Liters to Milliliters) To convert 7 liters (L) to milliliters (mL), you can use the following steps. Note that the L will cancel out as you perform the conversion, leaving only mL: Conversion Factor: 1 liter (L) = 1000 milliliters (mL) Start with the quantity you want to convert (7 L) and set up a ratio where the original unit (L) is in the denominator and the target unit (mL) is in the numerator, using the conversion factor: Conversion factor: 1000 mL / 1 L Write the quantity you want to convert (7 L) as a fraction over 1: 7 L / 1 Multiply this fraction by the conversion factor: (7 L / 1) * (1000 mL / 1 L) Notice that the units of liters (L) in the numerator and denominator cancel out, leaving only the units of milliliters (mL): (7 * 1000) / (1 * 1) mL = 7000 / 1 mL = 7000 mL So, 7 L is equivalent to 7000 milliliters. The units of liters cancel out during the conversion process, leaving only milliliters as the final unit.$

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