In Magnets, inhabitants of Mammoth Island discover the power of an invisible force called magnetism when a sudden lightning bolt transforms their clothes drier -- a contraption made of wire wound into a coil around an iron bar. When an electric current flows through the wire, the current creates a magnetic field around it. The iron bar in the middle helps to concentrate the field, and because of the high number of turns in the coil, a very strong magnetic field is created. When the current flows, the bar develops opposite poles at either end, which attract iron and steel objects. The inhabitants of Mammoth Island learn that opposites really do attract as they explore the many ways in which magnets can be used!

Teacher's guide available under Additional info tag. Also available in Streaming on Learn360 under the title "Stuck in the Mud"

Animated. Base on the book by David Macaulay,.