Magnets and More Magnets

B and E Block concluded their book work on magnets with an overview of magnetic forces. With a 2^nd right-hand rule at our disposal, the direction of a force on a charged particle or current-carrying wire in a magnetic field could be determined and a couple of handy formulas permitted the strength of that field to be calculated. Magnetic forces can change the motion of matter and we looked at how charged particles see their motion change, as well as wires in a magnetic field. Tomorrow, B Block gets review for their exam and E Block has a lab to run. They flip responsibilities on Wednesday and everyone gets their test on Thursday.

C Block took up the topic of electromagnetism today and looked at the field strength and properties of a straight current-carrying wire, a looped wire, a solenoid and an electromagnet. The more loops/unit area, the greater the field strength and the larger the current, the stronger the field. We examined the field properties of a solenoid with a magnetic field sensor and compass to see that it did resemble that of a bar magnet and that field strength and direction varied based on location around or in the solenoid. Tomorrow's lab will let you make an electromagnet and investigate its properties, as well as look at the magnetic field of a bar magnet. Wednesday will be the last bit of material for this chapter, but there won't be time for a formal review. The review sheet is up on Edline and there is plenty of time to ask questions of me during tomorrow's lab.

F Block began their discussion of magnetism today, building on last week's lab investigations. Those activities let folks look at permanent magnets and electromagnets and we got into some detail about the permanent magnets today in class. Be very clear about which pole combinations produce which types of forces, be able to interpret the direction of magnetic field lines, describe how a simple compass works and discuss properties of Earth's magnetic field. Tomorrow, we hit electromagnetism and Wednesday will be magnetic forces. As for C Block, review time is being curtailed, so make sure to manage time wisely and make sure to get any extra help you need before Thursday's exam.