Station #5: Navigating the Compass

LAB STATION #5

• Obtain two rectangular magnets and label them as magnets A and B. Bring the opposite poles of magnet A and B very close to each other but not touching. Do the same for the magnets with similar poles placed next to each other. Place magnet A at the center of the table. Position the compass at different locations around magnet A. Make an illustration of the positions that you have identified.

MATERIALS

• Two strong rectangular bar magnets (poles labelled)
• A compass

DATA

• Based from what we observe, one of the ends of the compass needle gets attracted to the north end of the magnet while the other end gets attracted to the south end of the magnet.

GUIDE QUESTIONS

• 5.1. How do the magnets react when their poles are placed near each other?
• A: When similar poles of the magnets are placed near each other, they tend to repel from each other. However, when opposite poles of the magnets are placed near each other, they tend to get attracted from each other and connect.

GUIDE QUESTION

• 5.2. How did the compass needle react when the compass is placed at different positions around a bar magnet?
• A: The north end of the compass needle (red mark) gets attracted to the north end of the magnet while the south end of the compass needle gets attracted to the south end of the magnet.

CONCLUSION

• We conclude that there are magnetic charges present in our environment and in our world, and that similar charges always repel each other while opposite charges always attract each other. We also learned how compasses work: it points according to the magnetic field of the earth.

APPLICATION

• With our knowledge of the effects of the similar and opposite charges of magnets as well as the behavior of the compass, we are able to apply our knowledge in real life situations, like being able to know where north or south is when using a compass because we know which end attracts which direction in the magnetic field.

References:
www.physicsclassroom.com/class/estatics/Lesson-1/Charge-Interactions