Skip to content
LessonPrint

Coils, Batteries and Paperclips is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on measuring cause and effect in electromagnets and other non-contact forces, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 3-PS2-3. It prints 4 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 19 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Coils, Batteries and Paperclips

3-PS2-3

NameDate

Look at the results, then answer.

1.
One magnetTwo magnetsThree magnets02468101214
Clips held in a chain by one, two and three magnets stacked together. Which held the most?
2.
Fridge magnetBar magnetHorseshoe magnetTwo bar magnets01234567
Distance at which a clip first jumped to four magnets, in centimeters. Which magnet pulled from furthest away?
3.
Switch onSwitch off0123456789
Paperclips lifted by the coil with its switch on and off. Which lifted the fewest?
4.
Iron nailWooden pencil012345678
Clips lifted by two coils of 30 turns, one around an iron nail and one around a wooden pencil. Which lifted the most?

LessonPrint · 3-PS2-3 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Coils, Batteries and Paperclips

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Three magnets, which held 15 clips.
  2. 2.Two bar magnets, which pulled from 7 cm away.
  3. 3.Switch off, which lifted 0 clips.
  4. 4.The iron nail, which lifted 8 clips.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-PS2-3 of the Next Generation Science Standards.