JASON Mission Center : Exploring Magnetism

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From: Infinite Potential Mission 3: Power to the People (pp: 55)

Exploring Magnetism

In this activity, you will explore magnetism and electricity. Then you will assemble an electromagnet and analyze its operation.

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Exploring Magnetism

Larry Shadle is well aware of coal’s legacy in electricity generation. Although coal was burned as a heat source for thousands of years, it was not until 1882 that this fuel was used to meet the demand for electricity. At that time, another energy scientist, Thomas Edison, presented the first centralized electricity station. When powered up, the station’s generator (then called a dynamo) created enough electricity to power 1,200 light bulbs! Edison’s choice of station fuel was coal— the same fossil fuel that meets over half of the current electrical energy demands of the United States.

Like today’s power plants, Edison’s electricity station was an application of the relationship between magnetism and electricity. What are these energy forms, and how do they interact? In this activity, you will explore magnetism and electricity. Then you will assemble an electromagnet and analyze its operation.

Materials

Lab 1 Data Sheet
2 bar magnets
steel paper clips
connecting wire with alligator clips
sheet of heavy stock paper

iron filings
iron nails
magnetic compass
D-cell in battery holder
horseshoe magnets, disk magnets or other magnets provided by instructor

Caution!
When using iron filings, make sure to always wear safety goggles and protective gloves. Also make sure that all fans are turned off and windows are shut.

Lab Prep

Place two magnets end-to-end. How do the magnets behave? Explain your observations in terms of like and unlike poles. Now turn one magnet 180 degrees so that its other end faces the first magnet. What happens? Are the observed forces larger or smaller at the poles? How can you tell?
Next, use one of the magnets to attract a steel paper clip. Must the magnet be touching the clip in order to affect the clip’s position and movement? Explain.
To magnetize a paper clip, attach it to the edge of a magnet. Using only the paper clip tip, pick up another paper clip. How many paper clips can you pick up with your magnetized clip? Compare your results with your classmates.

Making Observations

Put on your safety goggles and gloves. Lay a bar magnet flat on the desktop. Cover it with a sheet of heavy stock paper.
With the magnet positioned beneath the center of the paper, gently sprinkle iron filings on the paper’s surface. Continue until a distinct pattern emerges. Draw this pattern of filings. How does this pattern relate to the invisible magnetic field?
Move the compass around the bar magnet’s magnetic field. How does the compass needle align in the field? Based upon your observations, how can a compass be used to identify a magnet’s poles? Explain.
Predict the field shape between two magnets that are placed with like poles separated by a small distance. How might the field change if one magnet was rotated so that the two opposite poles faced each other? Draw and explain the difference you see.
Predict the shapes of the magnetic fields of horseshoe magnets, disk magnets, or other magnets provided by your instructor. Use iron filings to test your predictions.
Make an electromagnet. Wrap a length of wire around an iron nail, forming a coil with at least ten turns. Test this nail for magnetic properties. Connect the free ends of the wire to the terminals of a D-cell battery. What happens now?
Use a compass to identify the poles of the electromagnet. Does the direction of the coil wrap affect the identity of the poles? Explain.

Journal Question
From what you discovered about poles, what are the advantages and limitations of a horseshoe shaped magnet?

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