Tag Archives: magnetism

I constructed the do-it-yourself Faraday Motor with my students as a demonstration, just as the video instructs Their reaction was amazing! When linking the concepts of Electricity with Magnetism, I normally use pre-made motors and other conventional equipment that has been purchased or donated over the years. When I decided to create the "original" Faraday [...]

In 1820, Danish physicist/chemist Hans Christian Ørsted noticed that when current from his Voltaic pile was switched on and off, a compass needle placed near the wire deflected from true magnetic north. Within a few months of careful study, he deduced that a magnetic field circles a current-bearing wire.

Purpose
In this activity, students will investigate electromagnetic induction, the principle behind electric generators.
Discussion
In 1820, Hans Christian Ørsted found that electricity could create magnetism. Scientists were convinced that if electricity could create magnetism, magnetism could create electricity. Still, 11 years would pass before the induction of electricity from magnetism would be discovered and understood. The best [...]

Purpose
In this activity, students will investigate the principles that make electric motors possible.
Discussion
Perhaps the most important invention of the 19th century was the electric motor. You use a motor whenever you use electric power to make something move. A motor is used to start the engine of a car. Motors are used to spin compact [...]

Purpose
In this activity, students will investigate the electric origin of magnetic fields.
Discussion
In Magnetic Personality, you investigated the magnetic field around various configurations of bar magnets. But where does the magnetic field come from? What’s going on inside a bar magnet to make it magnetic? In this activity, you will discover the origin of all magnetic [...]

Purpose
In this activity, students will explore the patterns of magnetic fields around bar magnets in various configurations.
Discussion
A magnetic field is a kind of aura that surrounds magnets. Although it can’t be seen directly, the overall shape of the field can be seen by the effect it has on iron filings.
Required Equipment
3 bar magnets, iron filings [...]

Lab #35.1   Electricity & Magnetism: Batteries & Bulbs
Purpose
In this activity, students will explore various arrangements of batteries and bulbs, and the effects of those arrangements on bulb brightness.
Discussion
Many devices include electronic circuitry, most of which are quite complicated. Complex circuits are made, however, from simple circuits. In this activity you will build one of the [...]

Purpose
In this experiment, students will arrange a simple circuit involving a power source and a resistor. They will attach an ammeter and a voltmeter to the circuit. They will measure corresponding values of current and voltage in the circuit. They will then interpret observations to find the relationship between current, voltage, and resistance.
Discussion
The current, voltage [...]

Additional Products to help expand on the principles of electricity and magnetism.

A mystery to the ancients and a marvel to Einstein, magnetism is inextricably linked to the operation of motors and generators, the functioning of radio, television and computers, and our understanding of the universe. From the Greeks, who found that certain stones would attract pieces of iron, to Einstein who, as a child, was captivated by the mysterious properties of magnets, humankind's fascination with magnetism has never abated.