Sieves, Magnets, and Filters: Separating Mixtures

Hey there, explorer! I'm Atlas, and today we're going to learn one of science's most useful tricks: pulling a mixture apart. A **mixture** is when two or more things are mixed together but NOT joined chemically — so each part still acts like itself. Sand and iron filings mixed in a bowl? Still sand. Still iron. That matters a lot! Because each part keeps its own properties, we can use those properties to separate them: **Magnets** attract iron and steel. If your mixture has iron in it, just drag a magnet through — the iron leaps up, and everything else stays put. Miners use this trick in real life! **Sieves** have holes of a set size and work great with dry solid mixtures. Think of shaking a mix of big pebbles and fine sand on a wire mesh — the sand grains are small enough to fall through the holes, while the pebbles are too big and stay on top. No liquid needed! **Filters** (like filter paper) are used when tiny solid particles are floating in a liquid. Water passes through the filter, but solid particles — like grains of sand — are too big to squeeze through and get trapped. Here's the big idea: **you pick your tool by looking at the property that makes the parts different** — magnetic vs. not magnetic, or bigger vs. smaller particles. That's the whole secret!