A couple of years ago I was teaching science at a private school and I developed a little engineering challenge for my 6th graders. It was called “The Most Pendulous Pendulum Throwdown”.
The kids worked in teams with chosen materials, often legos and connex to create the longest running pendulum. One of my students used magnets to keep his project going longer than everyone else. I hadn’t thought to outlaw the use of magnets and this student won for smarts, shrewdness in design and creativity!
My other students didn’t like that this boy used magnets in his design and I informed them that they had just learned yet another valuable life lesson.
Was he using the magnets as springs or bearings?