Core Practical: Investigating Magnetic Fields
3 guided lessons · 27 checks · 6. Magnetism and Electromagnetism → Magnetism and Electromagnetism
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Lesson 1 of 3
Aim and equipment of the field-mapping practical
The investigation maps two field patterns on paper: the field of one permanent bar magnet, and the field in the region between two bar magnets. The kit is deliberately minimal — bar magnets, a plotting compass, paper and a pencil — because the compass itself is the sensor.
What you know already
This practical draws the invisible: a plotting compass, a pencil and a chain of dots turn a bar magnet's field into a visible map. The method steps the compass tail-to-dot, the analysis reads crowding as strength and straightness as uniformity, and the honest error analysis is part of the mark scheme.
Key points of understanding
- The aim is to plot the field patterns for one bar magnet and for the gap between two of them.
- A plotting compass is the sensor: its needle aligns with the local field line direction.
- Paper, pencil and a ruler record each needle direction as a small arrow.
- Two bar magnets and a support setup extend the map to the between-magnet region.
- Every arrow is drawn where the compass sits, so the pattern builds point by point.
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1.Aim and equipment of the field-mapping practical
The investigation maps two field patterns on paper: the field of one permanent bar magnet, and the field in the region between two bar magnets. The kit is deliberately minimal — bar magnets, a plotting compass, paper and a pencil — because the compass itself is the sensor.
Key points
- The aim is to plot the field patterns for one bar magnet and for the gap between two of them.
- A plotting compass is the sensor: its needle aligns with the local field line direction.
- Paper, pencil and a ruler record each needle direction as a small arrow.
- Two bar magnets and a support setup extend the map to the between-magnet region.
- Every arrow is drawn where the compass sits, so the pattern builds point by point.
Guided content from the SME authoring corpus — note rn_y9WPd7HxNXd6W7wx, pinned at 6312d659ec0d · promoted SyllabAI/syllabai-resources b3caaaa90c5e
