What is Iron filings?
[[Image:Powder steel on magnet.jpg|right|thumb|Iron filings on a magnet.]] '''Iron filings''' are very small pieces of [[iron]] that look like a dark gray [[powder]]. They are a common [[by-product]] of [[metalworking]]. Iron filing are often used in schools to show [[magnetic field]] lines. When filings are placed in a magnetic field, they become small magnets. This is because iron is a [[Ferromagnetism|ferromagnetic]] material. The south pole of each particle attracts the north poles of its neighbors. In this way filings create chains parallel to the direction of the magnetic field. [[Category:Iron]]