How distance affects the impact of magnet collision

[Travis T]

TL;DR Summary

How distance affects the impact of magnet collision

Hi, I'm studying how distance affects the impact of magnet collision. Would like to have some idea before conducting experiment.
Imagine
1. holding a magnet at different distance near a fixed metal
2. release the magnet; the magnet attract and collide to the fixed metal

Will the distance affect the impact?
Below figure as example, will magnet much tend to break into pieces with 10mm distance than 1mm?

 

[Baluncore]

The velocity of the magnet will be greater if the magnet starts from further away.
If you tried two different distances, the magnet from the further distance would be traveling faster as it passed the nearer distance, so it would be traveling faster at the target.

Place something like felt between the magnet and target to avoid shattering the magnet.

Measure the attractive force between the magnet and target for different separations. Derive the force to distance relationship. Compute the force, acceleration, velocity. Momentum and kinetic energy of the magnet as it approaches the target.

 

[berkeman]

Summary:: How distance affects the impact of magnet collision

Hi, I'm studying how distance affects the impact of magnet collision. Would like to have some idea before conducting experiment.
Imagine
1. holding a magnet at different distance near a fixed metal
2. release the magnet; the magnet attract and collide to the fixed metal

Will the distance affect the impact?
Below figure as example, will magnet much tend to break into pieces with 10mm distance than 1mm?

View attachment 284643

(Thread moved to the schoolwork forums -- even if this is for self-study, it's still very schoolwork-like)

Can you measure the attractive force in step #1 at different distances? That would be very helpful in your mathematical modeling of the speed-versus-distance curves of the released magnet. You can look up the general formulas for the attractive force between a magnet and a ferrous plate, but it would be better to actually measure what you have in your setup.

How are you doing to smoothly guide the magnet on its path from the release point to the impact? Are you using an air hockey type of low-friction surface arrangement, or a low-friction guide rod through the center of the magnet, or something else?

How are you going to measure the impact force (or impulse?)? Are you going to be able to measure the speed and position of the magnet versus time during the experiments (like by using an app on your smartphone)?

If you can make the static measurements and plot that attractive force versus distance, you can fit a curve to the data for the $F(d)$ function, and then use integration to calculate the variation of impact speed versus initial value of $d$.

EDIT -- I see now that @Baluncore already suggested measuring the $F(d)$ and modeling the trajectory...

 

[Travis T]

The velocity of the magnet will be greater if the magnet starts from further away.
If you tried two different distances, the magnet from the further distance would be traveling faster as it passed the nearer distance, so it would be traveling faster at the target.

Place something like felt between the magnet and target to avoid shattering the magnet.

Measure the attractive force between the magnet and target for different separations. Derive the force to distance relationship. Compute the force, acceleration, velocity. Momentum and kinetic energy of the magnet as it approaches the target.

Thanks for the responds.
Note this is not homework; just bringing up discussion from recent work related task.

Should the magnet attraction force works like from gravity force or any force?
Meaning the concept is the same like object free falling from higher height would cause higher velocity and thus higher impact.

In gravity we know a=9.81; in magnet attraction force, we have to figure the magnet mass and measure its attraction force to derive the acceleration value, am i right?

 

[Baluncore]

You can use; force = mass * acceleration; F = m·a;
But the force is dependent on distance, so it is a bit more complicated.
Once you know the force:distance relationship you can model it numerically.