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Magnets on the Move
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In this activity, learners investigate the behavior of magnets. Learners create a "wonder wand" with a magnet so they can move a skater around.
Cup Speaker
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Make your own speaker with a magnet, wire, and paper cup! If you have a radio with a headphone plug and an old pair of headphones, this is a great tinkering activity.
Make a Speaker: A Coil, a Magnet, and Thou
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Make your own simple speaker so you can listen to your favorite radio station. Just wind a coil, attach it to a piece of cardboard or Styrofoam, hold a magnet nearby, and listen.
Make Your Own Compass
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In this physics activity (page 8 of the PDF), learners will make their very own working compass.
Magnet Races
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In this physics activity (page 4 of the PDF), learners will explore how similar magnetic poles repel one another. They will rely on linear induction to race magnets around a simple course.
How Do We Convert Electrical Energy into Mechanical Energy?
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In this activity, learners make an electromagnet motor to demonstrate the most basic method of changing electrical energy into mechanical energy.
Earth Attractions
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In this activity, learners build and test a compass. Learners work in pairs and pretend they are stuck in the wilderness at night.
Magnetic Pendulum
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In this activity about magnetism (page 15 of the PDF), learners will explore how opposite and similar magnetic poles affect a swinging (pendulum) magnet.
Anti-Gravity Chamber
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In this activity, learners will use magnets and household items to create a structure that allows paperclips to appear like they are floating.
Magnetic Shielding: Magnetic lines stop here
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Testing magnets is always a fun pastime, but here, we're going beyond "will it attract the magnet?" In this activity, learners will investigate which materials allow magnetic fields to pass through or
Create a Compass
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In this activity, learners use simple materials to build their own compass.
How Do We Convert Mechanical Energy into Electrical Energy?
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In this activity, learners use a compass, powerful magnet, and copper magnet wire to build a special generator known as a dynamo.
Dancing Compasses
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Learners use compasses to detect the magnetic field created by current moving through a wire. This is one of four activities learners can complete related to PhysicsQuest 2008.
Magnetic Lines of Force
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With a magnet, iron fillings, and a bottle, you can create a cool demonstration about magnetic lines of force: the fillings will arrange themselves within the magnet's magnetic field.
Magnetisphere
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In this activity about magnetism (page seven of the pdf), learners experiment with magnets to better understand how magnetic fields work.
Floating Butterfly
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In this activity, learners create a cool floating animal using the science of magnetism. Learners discover what happens when a piece of magnetic metal enters a magnet's field.
Yogurt Cup Speakers
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Learners build a simple electromagnet, then use this electromagnet to transform a yogurt container into a working speaker. They can connect their speaker to a radio and listen as it transmits sound.
Detect Solar Storms
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In this activity, learners build their own magnetometer using an empty soda bottle, magnets, laser pointer, and household objects.
Simple Spinner
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In this activity, learners create a tiny electric, motorized dancer. Learners use the interactions of magnetism and electric current to make a wire spin, while displaying the Lorentz Force in action.
Strange Attractor: Observe Chaotic Motion
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In this activity, learners can observe chaotic motion. A magnet tied to a piece of string makes a pendulum, which swings over three sets of fixed magnets.