Electricity and Magnetic Fields
An electric current induces a magnetic field.Copyright 2006 Wapcaplet, Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Electromagnetism.png
The grand challenge for this legacy cycle unit is for students to design a way to help a recycler separate aluminum from steel scrap metal. In previous lessons, they looked at how magnetism might be utilized. In this lesson, students think about how they might use magnets and how they might confront the problem of turning off the magnetic field. Through the accompanying activity, students explore the nature of an electrically induced magnetic field and its applicability to the needed magnet for this design challenge.
This lesson covers induced magnetic fields and builds into the design of electromagnets, which are science topics that many types of engineers must understand to do their work, such as designing electric motors and unlocking car doors. Students are asked to think about how they might use this information as if they are engineers challenged to design a device to separate steel from aluminum for a recycler.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Identify an electric current as a source of a magnetic field.
- Describe the magnetic field lines around a wire carrying an electric current.