Download Karthik Subramaniam Mitch McAlister Matt Sella Joey Orrino Erin

Karthik Subramaniam
Mitch McAlister
Matt Sella
Joey Orrino
Erin Martin
Science — 6
Language Arts — 5
TITLE: Battery and Compass
QUESTION: How does an electric current affect the needle of a compass?
HYPOTHESIS: If the battery and wire are moved over the compass, then nothing will happen to
the compass because only magnets, not electricity, affect the direction the compass needle will
point.
OBSERVATIONS AND DATA: The needle of the compass moved in a direction opposite to what
the battery and wire were. CONCLUSION: The hypothesis (if the battery and wire are moved over the
compass, then
nothing will happen to the compass because only magnets, not electricity, affect the direction
the compass needle will point) was refuted. The needle did indeed move when the battery and
wire were passed over it. This is because an electric current creates a magnetic field, which
caused the needle to rotate. The relationship between magnetism and electricity is that the
electricity generates a magnetic field. This is supported by the needle moving in a direction that
is counterclockwise to that of the battery and wire passing over it. Chemical potential energy is
present in the battery acid in the battery, waiting to be used; kinetic energy is indicated by the
electricity flowing through the wire, generating the magnetic field.
SUMMARY OF STATION ARTICLE: The author’s purpose for writing the article is to explain how
electrical energy was turned into motion. In the beginning, the author showed how an electric
current flowed through the wire and turned it into an electromagnet. Next, the author describes
how the needle moves in the opposite direction of the wire, because the magnetic field is like a
circle magnet. Lastly, the article says the chemical energy is changed to electrical energy to
motion energy.
REAL WORLD APPLICATION: If you were in an area with a very high magnetic field (or none at
all), such as very deep underground, with only a battery, wire, and compass, passing the battery
and wire over the compass and reciprocating the direction would reveal what direction north is.