Fun with magnets PDF

INTRODUCTION

Magnets and magnetism appears in various places in the National Curriculum and Post-16 syllabi and can be a fun subject to study allowing students to carry out investigations and projects. In this booklet I hope to give you a few ideas on some ways in which magnets and magnetism can be approached. Many of these ideas will be familiar but there may also be a few new ideas that you will find interestmg.

This booklet has been produced as part of an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded project under the heading of the Public Partnerships in Science. The project has been carried out in conjunction with the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust where interactive exhibits on magnetism, in particular a levitating train, will be on display in 2003. lronbridge is on the River Severn,S miles (8 km) south of Telford, in Shropshire. For more details on these developments watch the Ironbridge website at http://www.ironbridge.org.uk or contact Dr Claire Davis in the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham ([email protected]).

The booklet has been published by the Institute of Materials and is one of a series of teaching resources for schools available through the Institute's 'Schools Affiliate Scheme' (SAS). The SAS provides a termly newsletter for all its members detailing resources, courses and activities in Materials Science and Engineering and contains articles about other research developments in materials. Members of the SAS receive a pack of free teaching resources from the Insti tute of Materials and additional free resources on an annual basis. More details about the SAS and the Institute of Materials can be found on their website at http.z/www.materials.org.uk.

Thanks are due to Professor Rex Harris, Dr Paul Withey and Dr Andy Williams for their help and assistance with preparing this booklet. The comments from Mr Roger Brown (Ecc\esbourne School, Derby) were greatly appreciated.

Edited by:

Dr. Claire Davis