Drawing Magnetic Fields
Ceramic magnets.Copyright Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ceramic_magnets.jpg
Using a compass and a permanent magnet, students trace the magnetic field lines produced by magnets. By positioning the compass in enough spots around the magnet, the overall magnet field becomes evident from the collection of arrows representing the direction of the compass needle. In activities 3 and 4 of this unit, students apply this information to design a way to solve the grand challenge of separating metal for a recycling company.
This activity covers magnetic fields and also serves as an introduction to vector fields, which are a common theme through most electrical engineering disciplines. As discussed in the lesson closure, understanding the Earth's magnetic field is important in designing ways of protecting astronauts in space. Students play the role of engineers when they apply their understanding of magnets to design devices to solve the problem presented in the grand challenge later in the unit.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain the significance of the directions of magnetic field lines.
- Draw the shape of magnetic field lines around a permanent magnet.