Monday, Monday

Honors Physics continued on with their discussion of magnetism with a look at magnetic forces. How magnetic forces affect charged particles and current-carrying wires was described and the use of the right-hand rule to determine force direction was demonstrated. NOTE! – when using the right-hand for charged particles, remember that the rule is set up for positive test charges. If a an electron or other negative charge is in the question, the direction of motion would be opposite that of the positive test charge. The structure and function of the galvanometer was addressed, also, and we will go more deeply into this in the next chapter. Tomorrow, we start with electromagnetic induction – the ability of fluctuating magnetic fields to create electric current.

Physical Science B started their discussion of magnetism with a review of the lab that they conducted the Friday before vacation. Compasses were used in that activity to examine magnetic field lines for a variety of styles and types of magnets. A compass will align itself in a magnetic field and allow you to actually map field lines, as we observed in class. We contrasted hard and soft magnets and discussed the orientation of Earth’s magnetic field. Tomorrow, we take up the ability of electric current to generate magnetic fields and forces.

Physical Science E started the class by discussing the lab investigation that students conducted before we left for break. Magnetic materials have mappable field lines, which give a profile of the direction and strength of the magnetic field at different locations. Students then watched the video Magnetic Storm, which details the properties of Earth’s magnetic field, illustrates the concept of magnetic domains, discusses the historical shifts in Earth’s magnetic field and possible consequences of another such shift in the future. Tomorrow, we’ll pick up with permanent magnets and their properties before hitting electromagnetism on Wednesday.

Physics F reviewed their labs from before vacation and the concept, in general, of permanent magnets. Then, we hopped into magnetic fields created by moving charges. We looked at the fields and forces producing by moving charges and by current-carrying wires. The effect of coiling a wire on magnetic field strength was discussed and an air-core solenoid and electromagnet were demonstrated at the end of the discussion. Tomorrow, we move more deeply into magnetic forces and their effects on the motion of matter.

Physics G began their discussion of magnetism with an overview of permanent magnets, magnetic fields/field lines and an overview of Earth’s magnetic field. We used the activity from the Friday before vacation to illustrate the ideas and students had time in class to examine magnetic field lines using iron filings. Tomorrow, we take a look at situations where electric current is used to produce magnetic fields.

Homework

Honors Physics A: Practice 21A, 21B and the 21.3 Section Review
Physical Science B: 17.1 Section Review and Chapter Review items# 15, 27
Physical Science E: Complete Magnetic Storm Discussion questions and 17.1 Section Review
Physics F and G: 21.2 Section Review and Chapter Review items #7, 9, 11-16