Posted 11/04/2009 7:39 pm
If it doesn't "stick", then it's not ferromagnetic - that is, it's not made of iron, cobalt, nickel, certain scarce elements not likely to be used in coinage either genuine or fake, or an alloy containing a large proportion of those elements.
It's a myth that other metals won't react at all to a magnetic field; most substances, including silver, are diamagnetic" and are actually repelled slightly by a magnetic field, though it has to be a very powerful magnet to see any kind of effect. This could explain the effect you're seeing.
Your neodymium magnet was perhaps a bit of an overkill.
It's a myth that other metals won't react at all to a magnetic field; most substances, including silver, are diamagnetic" and are actually repelled slightly by a magnetic field, though it has to be a very powerful magnet to see any kind of effect. This could explain the effect you're seeing.
Your neodymium magnet was perhaps a bit of an overkill.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
I think there is a diamagnetic effect with silver, where it creates its own magnetic field opposing an external field. Oops...you guys beat me to it! 
