Magnetic Fields and Field Lines

Lab Brief #1

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

Speed isn't the same as force. Don't mix them up.

What you'll learn

A magnetic field is the region where a magnetic material feels a force. Field lines run from north pole to south outside the magnet, never cross, and are closer together where the field is stronger. Both poles attract iron; only two magnets repel.

Key words

magnetic field
The region around a magnet where magnetic materials experience a force.
field line
A drawn line showing field direction, from north to south outside a magnet.

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: where does the energy go?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

bar magnet
iron filings in a shaker
paper
plotting compass

⚠️ Safety first

Keep iron filings in a sealed shaker and never near eyes.
Keep magnets away from phones, cards and pacemakers.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "magnetic field" and "field line" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Place a bar magnet under paper and sprinkle iron filings to reveal the field. Then plot the same field with a small compass, marking arrows every centimetre, and compare the two pictures.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

Magnetic field lines outside a magnet run from:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

Field lines drawn closer together indicate a field that is:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔥 A bolt of lightning is 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Electromagnets All lessons

🎯

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: You use this every time you flip a light switch, ride a bike, or kick a ball.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Time how long a small ball rolls down something, then change the slope and try again.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”

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