Day 131: Describing How the Bike Light Generator Works

Conceptual Physics: Students finished the electromagnetic induction activity from yesterday and then used their findings to explain how a bike light generator works. Pictured is a dismantled bike light generator. On the left, you can see that the rotor’s round magnet actually has multiple N and S poles around its circumference. This surprised a few students who expected the poles to be on the circular faces of the round magnet. On the right, you see the copper coil of the stator.

College-Prep Physics: In one half of the block, we watched Cosmic Voyage (movie questions). In the other half , one class had groups present their scale models while the other class worked on blog post reflections about their scale models.

Day 129: What is an Electromagnet?

Conceptual Physics: Students constructed electromagnets using batteries, magnet wire, clip leads, and nails. They looked to see how it interacted with a compass and investigated ways to make their electromagnets stronger.

College-Prep Physics: Spent the first part of the block getting students to join the class blog (see yesterday’s post). In the second half, students begin research/work into creating a scale model showing the sizes/distances between objects in the universe.

Day 128: What Happens When You Break A Magnet In Two?

Conceptual Physics: Today we summarized our observations from yesterday’s magnet activity, then did a few more demos including breaking a magnet in two (pictured) and Oersted’s discovery.

College-Prep Physics: Tried getting students signed up for WordPress accounts and adding them as authors to a new class blog (period 4, period 7) for our astronomy explorations. Students were drafting their first blog post in which they research an answer to a burning question about astronomy.

Day 127: What is a Magnet?

Conceptual physics: After yesterday’s investigation of generators, students saw that a moving magnet was a key component to all generators. Today they explored the properties of magnets.

Day 126: What Do Generators Have In Common?

Conceptual physics: Students looked at a dismantled alternator (rear), dismantled bike light generator (front), and a diagram of a power plant. They looked for physical similarities/differences and also tested for magnetism with paper clips.