Curious Magnets

Today I did the lab Curious Magnets with Louisa, trying to find and demonstrate how magnets transfer kinetic energy. In the first experiment, we taped four very strong square magnets every 2.5 inches on a ruler. Second on the right hand side, we put 2 silver magnetic balls, about half an inch in diameter, on the right side of each magnet, which stuck because of the magnetic force. Once the 9th ball got in the magnetic field, it was pulled toward the left side of the first magnet. This ball was traveling toward the magnet with 1 unit of kinetic energy, speeding up as it got closer causing the the first magnet to leave with a kinetic energy of 2 units because the potential energy was transformed into the kinetic energy. The last ball on the right of the first magnet left with 2 units, but speeding up and increasing to 3 units of kinetic energy as it reached the second magnet. The last ball on the right of the second magnet left with 3 units of kinetic energy, and the potential energy caused it to speed up to 4 units of kinetic energy by the first magnet. The last ball on the right of the fourth magnet left with 4 units of kinetic energy, but didn't speed up because there wasn't potential energy because there wasn't another magnet.




This is a picture of the effect of the first experiment, after we released the 9th magnet

The second experiment we did was to make a swinging pendulum using the Curie Effect. The Curie Effect states that when a magnet is heated up to 800 o F., it loses its magnetic power, causing the swinging magnet, a tiny neodymium iron boron magnet to be attracted to the larger, square magnet, but not stick, being repelled when it comes close, but pulled in while it is far away.

First, we made a twist of insulated wire with the tiny neodymium iron boron magnet attached to it.






Then we attached the two ends of the wire around the nail and lit the candle. The wire swung to and away from the larger magnet.




The completed second experiment

Motors: A Magnetic Movement

Today, Maya, Kayla, and I made motors with a straw, a battery, wire, safety pins, and straight pins. The first activity was to wrap 5 feet of wire around a 6 inch drinking straw. At the ends of the wire, we stripped of the coating, and attached that with tape to the positive and negative sides of the battery.



I stuck a pin at the edge of the straw, while the straw was horizontal. Because the straw with the wire wrapped around it is a potential magnet, and once it was attached to the batter, it was an electromagnet. That is why the straight pin when held next to the straw, it was attracted to the middle, where the magnetic field was strongest because that is where the wire was wrapped tightest.


Our second experiment was to make a motor that could turn a coil of wire around and around. Our first step was to wind the wire in a circle about an inch in diameter. Second, we attached the two ends of the wire to the inside of safety pins, which were open and attached with scotch tape to the positive and negative sides of the battery. Taped on top of the battery was a strong, but powerful magnet.

The coil was able to spin because as we the wire to the battery, we made an electromagnet. The electrons were moving inside the coil, each attracted to the magnet, then spinning.



This is a picture of our motor. The battery is right on top of the wire clippers, and the safety pins are on either side of the battery. The magnet is taped to the top of the battery.