B Name: _______________________

Year and Section: Grade 10- _____

Topic: ELECTROMAGNETISM
Activity Number 1: Magnetic field Mapping
Objectives:
- Describe the region around a magnet
- Draw the magnetic field of lines around a magnet
Materials:
- 2 bar magnets, U-shaped magnet, magnetic field board or clean sheet of papers, pencil

Procedure:
1. Place a single bar magnet in a flat surface.
2. Put a cardboard or clean sheet of paper on top of the bar magnet.
3. Sprinkle iron filings on the cardboard.
4. Observe the line patterns that will be formed. These lines represent the magnetic field of the bar magnet
Q1. What do the line patterns form?
________________________________________________________________.

Q2. Were the lines evenly distributed or did they seem to concentrate on specific areas?
____________________________________________________________________________________.

Q3: What does this tell you about bar magnets?

____________________________________________________________________________________.

5. Place a magnetic compass at the north pole of the bar magnet. Move the north pole on one side until it
reaches the south pole of the bar magnet. Repeat this procedure on the other side of the bar magnet. Place
the compass on top of the bar magnet (middle portion).

The direction indicated by the N- pole of the compass while it was being moved from the north to the south
pole until the middle portion is the direction of the bar magnet’s magnetic force. Illustrate your observation
by indicating an arrow (the arrow head represents the north pole of the compass) on the lines you have just
drawn.

Q4. What is the direction of the magnetic field in air? How about within the magnet?
Direction of magnetic field in air-__________________________________________________________.
Direction of magnetic field within the magnet- _______________________________________________.

6. Repeat steps 1-4, but this time use a U-shaped magnet.

Q5. What do the lines pattern form?
________________________________________________________________.

Q6. Were the lines evenly distributed or did they seem to concentrate on specific areas?
____________________________________________________________________________________.

Q7. What does this tell you about U-shaped magnets?

____________________________________________________________________________________.

7. Get two bar magnets and lay them on a flat surface side by side but not touching each other. First with like
ends near each other. Second, with unlike ends near each other.
8. Put the cardboard on top. Sprinkle iron filings and trace again the line patterns that will be formed.
Q8. How would you describe the line patterns formed with like ends of the magnet? What do these imply?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________.
Q9. How would you describe the line patterns formed with unlike ends of the magnet? What do these
imply?
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________.

Data and Observation:

Set up Line patterns Formed (drawing) Observations
With direction(arrow) as mapped by the compass

Single bar
magnet

N S

U- shaped
Magnet

N S

2 Bar
magnets with
like ends

N N
S S

2 bar
magnets with
unlike ends

N S
S S