Made in England: ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

1. Look at these amazing projects!

This one is by Emilio in 6B. You have to get the answer right for the circuit to work and the light bulb to turn on!

This one is by Daniel from 6A. It must have taken ages to do. It is made out of Lego and when the circuit is on the lights come on in the house!

2. Here are some experiments we did in class!

3. Here is an example of a mini book we made about Magnets. You can keep it in your pocket to remind yourself about magnets and magnetism!

4. Here is our latest wall chart about Magnetism and Electricity - hope you like it!

5. Go to this page to find lots of games about circuits:

6. See how well Paloma explains how magnetism and electricity work...

7. Did You Know?

You can take the magnetism out of a magnet by hitting it soundly with a hammer.The vibrations you cause when you strike the magnet will shake up the magnet's atoms and knock the domains out of alignment, so it will no longer be magnetic. To remagnetize it, you'd have to put it in touch with a magnetic field.

Before the invention of the compass, people used a bowl and spoon to navigate. The Chinese were probably the first to recognize the direction-finding ability of magnets. In A.D. 83, during the Han dynasty, magnetic lodestone was carved into a bowl and spoon. The spoon was free to orient itself within the bowl to the direction of Earth's magnetic field, always pointing in the same direction.

Magnetism helps keep our currency free of counterfeit money. The ink that's used to print bank checks and paper money is treated with magnetic dust so that it can be distinguished from ink used in counterfeit currency. Vending machines and coin sorters also use magnetism to identify slugs, or metal disks.

Some lobsters use a built-in compass to migrate each fall. Spiny lobsters have tiny bits of magnetite-the same material that's in lodestones-in their brains. In late autumn, the lobsters detect the Earth's magnetic field and use their internal compass to travel through the dark of night and huge waves. Every year, without fail, they successfully find their way to warmer water before the chilly winter arrives.

Electromagnets

It’s simple to make a small electromagnet. All you need is a battery and some wire, as well as a compass to show the magnetic pull.

Take an ordinary AA or D battery and connect a piece of wire to run from the plus (+) side to the negative (-) side. Place the c

8. Here is the wall chart we have put up in the corridor to remind us about electricity and magnetism. Hope you like it! Students in 6A and 6B - why don't you bring in materials for me to add to it?

9. Here are some more examples of fantastic notebooks for Science!

Electricity and Magnetism

Machines

Look at these fantastic projects my 6th year students did about electricity, circuits and magnets!

By Juan, 6B

By Victor, 6B

By Alex, 6A

By Sofía, 6B

By María, 6B

Here are some videos about magnetism and electricity for you watch and understand more...

10. Watch this video about magnetic putty!

11. Bill Nye the Science Guy video

12. Learn more about Hans Christian Oersted's discovery by watching this video...

13. Here you can learn more about Thomas Edison:

14. And this video explains the life of Nikola Tesla

15. Watch these videos if you want to find out more about Static Electricity:

16. Watch this video to find out how wind and solar power are converted into electricity.

17. Do this activity to understand more about magnetism: