Download Investigation 1: The force

Investigation 1: The force
1. NCSCOS
Competency Goal 3: The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an
understanding of magnetism and electricity.
Objectives
3.01 Observe and investigate the pull of magnets on all materials made of iron and the pushes or pulls on
other magnets.
3.02 Describe and demonstrate how magnetism can be used to generate electricity.
3.03 Design and test an electric circuit as a closed pathway including an energy source, energy conductor,
and an energy receiver.
3.04 Explain how magnetism is related to electricity.
3.05 Describe and explain the parts of a light bulb.
3.06 Describe and identify materials that are conductors and nonconductors of electricity.
3.07 Observe and investigate that parallel and series circuits have different characteristics.
3.08 Observe and investigate the ability of electric circuits to produce light, heat, sound, and magnetic
effects.
3.09 Recognize lightning as an electrical discharge and show proper safety behavior when lightning occurs.
2. Big Ideas:
In North Carolina fourth grade students are required to observe and investigate the properties of magnetism
and electricity. When they study this objective it is learned as a whole system.
The National Science Standards explains SYSTEMS, ORDER, AND ORGANIZATION in Content
Standards for unifying concepts and processes. The natural and designed world is complex; it is too large
and complicated to investigate and comprehend all at once. Scientists and students learn to define small
portions for the convenience of investigation. The units of investigation can be referred to as "systems." A
system is an organized group of related objects or components that form a whole. Systems can consist, for
example, of organisms, machines, fundamental particles, galaxies, ideas, numbers, transportation, and
education. Systems have boundaries, components, resources flow (input and output), and feedback.
The goal of this standard is to think and analyze in terms of systems. Thinking and analyzing in terms of
systems will help students keep track of mass, energy, objects, organisms, and events referred to in the
other content standards.
Electricity and magnetism make up different systems. The main idea to convey here is that forces can act at
a distance. Students should carry out investigations to become familiar with the pushes and pulls of
magnets. Students should also investigate to gain an understanding of electrically charged objects exert a
push or a pull on other objects. Electricity is also related to other systems such as magnetism and weather.
Notes:
By the end of the 4th grade, students should know that:
 Without touching them, a magnet pulls on all things made of iron and either pushes or pulls on
other magnets.
 Without touching them, an object that has been electrically charged pulls on all other uncharged
objects and may either push or pull other charged objects.
These Benchmarks were found under “The Physical Setting” for Science Benchmarks 2061
www.project2061.org/publications/bsl/online/bolintro.htm
The National Science Standards tell us that when students describe and manipulate objects they do so using
several motions. These motions include pushing, pulling, throwing, dropping, and rolling. Students also
begin to focus on the position and movement of objects. They describe these motions and locations as up,
down, in front, or behind. These discoveries allow students to understand the various kinds of motions and
forces required to control an object. Experimenting with electricity and magnetism allows students to
understand that phenomena can be observed, measured, and controlled in various ways.
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/6a.html#pslsesss
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Part 1: Investigating magnets and materials
Materials: Magnets, test objects, paper, pencil, paper bag
Describe the object, put hand in bag and try to describe the object; draw on piece of
paper; give detailed description; ask questions
Investigate what the magnet can do; test objects around their desk
Stick magnet to chair leg
Predict which objects in bag will stick to magnet, which won’t (enough materials in bag
for students in groups of 4 to work in groups of 2)
Sort into 2 groups: stick and don’t stick
Use magnet to test objects around the room; place “do not test” on computers,
calculators, etc.
Students find out what happens when 2 magnets interact
Academic vocabulary:
Magnet- an object that sticks to iron
Force - a push or pull
Attract - when magnets pull together
Repel - when magnets push apart
Magnetism - a special kind of force
Part 2: Investigating more magnetic properties
Materials: magnets, test objects, paper, pencil, paper clip
How do iron objects and magnets interact together? Does the force of magnetism go
through other materials? Allow time for exploration
Magnetism will travel through one object to another.
Induced magnetism occurs when a magnet comes in contact with an iron object.
Academic vocabulary:
temporary magnet - a piece of iron that behaves like a magnet when it is touching a
permanent magnet
induced magnetism - the influence of a permanent magnet’s magnetic field on a piece of
iron, which makes the iron act like a magnet
Part 3: Breaking the force
Materials: 8 donut magnets, magnets on a post, plastic spacers, blue dots cut into strips
of 7 dots, washers, balances, cups
Can you find a way to measure the force of attraction between 2 magnets? How much
force is needed to pull 2 magnets apart?
Academic vocabulary:
Graph - organizes data visually to show a relationship between two things
Prediction - an educated guess based on data or previous experience
Intersection - the point at which two lines cross
What happens to the force of attraction when you move them further apart?
Must follow the same procedure for each trial.
# spacers
0
washers
2
1
2
skip – fill in from graph
3
4
5
6
Y= washer; x= spacers; use dots to graph data; make prediction from graph for 2 spacers
and test it with experiment
As the distance between two magnets increases, the force of attraction between the
magnets decreases
Part 4: Detecting the force of magnetism
Materials: bags of test objects; 8 boxes from 1st time prep, compasses, donut magnets;
iron filings from first time prep, masking tape
Working in groups of 4, one pair determines what instruments they will use to detect the
magnets; the other groups tapes the 2 magnets in the box
Force of magnetism can go through materials. Magnetism can be detected using object
made of iron or steel
Academic vocabulary:
Detector- something that you use to gather evidence about something you cannot see
Investigation 2: Making Connections
Part 1: Lighting a Bulb
Flow of electricity student sheet
Introduce D-Cell (potato clock)
Electricity source
Introduce light bulb electricity receiver
Observe closely
Task: Make a bulb light using 1 D-cell, 1 bulb, 2 wires (work in groups of 2)
Circuit, components
Find out how to get electricity from the source to light a bulb.
Try the same thing with 1 wire, 1 D-cell and 1 bulb
Introduce bulb holders, cell holders, circuit bases
Filament
Part 2: Making a Motor Run
How can you get electricity from D-cell to receiver?
Academic Vocabulary:
switch
clip holders
closed and open circuits
schematic diagram
circuit base
Part 3: Finding Conductors and Insulators
Investigation 2: Part 4
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Assessment designed to be done in either groups or individually
Assemble circuit as directed
Solve mystery board
Predict and try circuits
Investigation 3:
Part 1 Building series circuits
1 circuit base
1 D-cell
1 cell holder
1 switch
2 lightbulbs in holders
3 short wires
Advanced connections student sheets
Review circuits; Propose a 2 bulb circuit; have students try it; why was the bulb weak;
suggestions for making the bulb burn more brightly; try it
D-cell orientation is very important
Academic vocabulary
Series circuit - a circuit with only one pathway for current flow
Component- one part of a circuit system
Part 2 Building parallel circuits
1 circuit base
1 D-cell
1 cell holder
1 switch
2 lightbulbs in holders
2 long wires
4 short wires
Advanced connections student sheets from previous lab
Challenge students to use new materials to light 2 bulbs brightly at the same time; see p.
19
Academic vocabulary:
parallel circuit - splits into two or more pathways before coming together at the battery
Part 3 Solving the string-of-lights
Use index card spacers to see what happens to lights in series and parallel when the
circuit is opened.
Add 2 index card strips to the materials above. Solve in teams, then solve with other
teams to make 8 lightbulb circuits in series and parallel.
Investigation 4: Current Attractions
Part 1
Materials: Short red wire (15 cm), long yellow wire (150 cm)
Both must have insulation stripped from ends
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1 rivet
1 circuit base
1 D-Cell
1 switch
1 cup small washers (1/2 of package per group)
Work to pick up washers with materials provided
Challenge to build the best electromagnet - find the best way to wrap the wire around the
rivet; number of wraps must be the same; pick up washers with the same side of the rivet
Count number of washers picked up to determine strength of the electromagnet
Electromagnet - a coil of wire, usually wound around a core of iron or steel, which
produces a magnetic field when electricity flows through the wire
Core - material around which a coil is wound
Coil - wire wound repeatedly around a central core
See content inquiry on page 13
Part 2 - Changing the number of winds
Same materials, this time change the number of winds, graph data, make prediction, try it
Prediction - an educated guess based on knowledge or information
Graph - a way to display the relationship between variables
Part 3: Investigating more electromagnets
Have students formulate questions and answer them in a systematic method - see page
19
Investigation 5: Reinventing the Telegraph - would omit this activity for this year and
move on to another topic
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