3-PS2-3: Magnets, Static and Forces at a Distance
Also called NGSS 3-PS2-3 · Topic: Forces and Interactions · Physical Science
The Official Wording
Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.
Clarification statement: Examples of an electric force could include the force on hair from an electrically charged balloon and the electrical forces between a charged rod and pieces of paper; examples of a magnetic force could include the force between two permanent magnets, the force between an electromagnet and steel paperclips, and the force exerted by one magnet versus the force exerted by two magnets. Examples of cause and effect relationships could include how the distance between objects affects strength of the force and how the orientation of magnets affects the direction of the magnetic force.
Assessment boundary: Assessment is limited to forces produced by objects that can be manipulated by students, and electrical interactions are limited to static electricity.
NGSS Lead States, 2013 · Read it on nextgenscience.org · checked October 15, 2026
What 3-PS2-3 Means in Plain English
Third graders explore pushes and pulls that work without touching: magnets attracting or repelling, and a rubbed balloon tugging on hair or paper bits. They ask testable questions about cause and effect, like whether moving a magnet farther away weakens its pull, and then find out.
Students only use magnets and charged objects they can hold and move, and electricity stays limited to static, like a rubbed balloon. Magnet ideas lead straight into designing with magnets in 3-PS2-4 and later to electric and magnetic forces in MS-PS2-3.
3-PS2-3 I Can Statements
- I can ask a question about how magnets push or pull.
- I can test how distance changes a magnet's pull.
- I can explain how a rubbed balloon pulls without touching.
3-PS2-3 Worked Example
A question-and-test a class can run with one magnet, a paper clip and squares of thin cardboard.
How many cardboard squares can we stack between a magnet and a paper clip before the pull stops?
Set It Up: A bar magnet, a steel paper clip, and a stack of thin cardboard squares about the size of a sticky note.
- Ask the question as a class: does the pull get weaker as the magnet gets farther away?Question written on the board
- Hold the paper clip under one cardboard square and the magnet on top.1 square: clip held up
- Add squares one at a time and test again each time.4 squares: clip still held
- Keep adding until the clip drops.7 squares: clip falls
- Repeat with the other end of the magnet.Both ends: about the same count
The magnet held the paper clip through a few squares, but once the stack grew thick enough, the clip fell.
Why it works: A magnet's pull reaches across a gap, but it gets weaker the farther the magnet is from the object it pulls.
Common Mistakes with 3-PS2-3
Thinking magnets pull every metal
“The penny will stick, it's metal.”
Try this: Test a penny, foil and a paper clip. Magnets pull on iron and steel, but not on copper, aluminum or most other metals.
Mixing up static and magnetism
“The balloon is a magnet now.”
Try this: Show that a rubbed balloon also lifts tiny paper bits, which a magnet cannot. The balloon pull comes from static charge, not magnetism.
Asking questions that cannot be tested
“Why are magnets cool?”
Try this: Turn it into a question with something to change and something to watch, like “Does a closer magnet pull harder?”
Where 3-PS2-3 Fits
Practice 3-PS2-3
Quick Check
- You move a magnet farther from a paper clip. What happens to the pull?
- Two magnets push each other away. How can you make them pull together?
- A rubbed balloon makes your hair rise. Is it touching your hair?