As performed in the lab
Materials :
White paper sheet, drawing board, adhesive, bar magnet, iron filings and magnetic compass.
Procedure :
- Fix a sheet of white paper on a drawing board using some adhesive material.
- Place a bar magnet in the centre of it.
- Sprinkle some iron filings uniformly around the bar magnet.
- Now tap the board gently.
- Observe the pattern in which the iron filings arrange themselves.
- Use a magnetic compass to determine the direction of the field lines.
As performed in the simulator
- Drag the bar magnet or magnetic compass around and observe the deflection in needle of compass and magnetic field (B) acting on the magnetic compass.
- To view the magnetic field lines, click on Show Field Lines checkbox.
- For more detailed insights of the activity click on Observation tab.
Observation
- Direction in which compass needle points is the direction of the magnetic field.
- The strength of the magnetic field is inversely proportional to the distance between the field lines.
- Magnetic field lines never cross each other. It is unique at every point in space.
- Magnetic field lines begin at the north pole of a magnet and terminate on the south pole.