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International High School Sarajevo: Physics Graduation Work Subject: Aurora Borealis
International High School Sarajevo: Physics Graduation Work Subject: Aurora Borealis
International High School Sarajevo: Physics Graduation Work Subject: Aurora Borealis
Sarajevo
Sarajevo
June, 2018
Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................1
2. Early discovery of magnetism..................................................3
3. The Magnetic Field..................................................................6
3.1.1.Motion of a charged particle in a uniform magnetic
field........................................................................13
3.1.2.Helical path............................................................16
3.1.3.Motion of a particle in a non-uniform magnetic field
...............................................................................17
4. The magnetic field of the Earth.............................................19
4.1. Van Allen belts...............................................................22
5. The Sun..................................................................................24
5.1. Magnetic field of the Sun...............................................27
6. Origination of Aurora Borealis...............................................28
7. Colors of Aurora....................................................................30
Introduction
An aurora, commonly called aurora borealis (northern light)
or aurora australis (southern light) is a natural display of light
in the Earth's sky, which can be seen in high latitude regions
(Arctic or Antarctic) due to the reasons of it's occurence. For
millennia, this phenomena has been the source of
speculation and superstition. For instance, aurora
borealis means the dawn of the north, and aurora
australis means the dawn of the south. Hence, in
Roman myths the goddess of dawn is Aurora. In
medieval times, the occurrences of auroral displays
were seen as harbingers of war. Some Indians
believed that the lights indicated the location of giants
who were the spirits of great hunters and fishermen. A
tribe of Alaska (Inuit) believed that the lights were the
spirits of the animals they hunted: the seals, salmon,
deer and whales. Other peoples believed that the lights
were the spirits of their own people.
1
Figure 1: Aurora Borealis in Estonia
(14.12.2015)
2
Early discovery of magnetism
Many historians of science believe that the compass,
which uses a magnetic needle, was used in China as
early as the 13th century BC, its invention being of
Arabic or Indian origin. The early Greeks knew about
magnetism as early as 800 BC.
3
to the Earth’s geographic North Pole and its south pole
points to the Earth’s geographic South Pole.
4
connections between electricity and magnetism were
demonstrated independently by Faraday and Joseph
5
The Magnetic Field
The interactions between charged objects is described
in terms of electric fields. It is known that an electric
field surrounds any electric charge. In addition to
containing an electric field, the region of space
surrounding any moving electric charge also contains a
magnetic field. A magnetic field also surrounds a
magnetic substance making up a permanent magnet.
Historically, the symbol B has been used to represent a
magnetic field, and we use this notation in this book.
The direction of the magnetic field B at any location is
the direction in which a compass needle points at that
location. As with the electric field, we can represent the
magnetic field by means of drawings with magnetic
field lines. (Figure 2)
6
3a 3b
8
Figure 4a: Showing the direction of FB which is
perpendiculat to both, B and v.
9
Moreover, there are two right-hand rules which help us
to determine the direction of the magnetic force. They
are both represented on Figure 5.
Figure 5a: To use this rule, you point your fingers in the
direction of v, with B coming our of your palm, so that
you can curl your fingers in the direction of B. The
direction of v×B and a force on a positive charge, is the
direction in which your thumb points (the direction on a
negative charge would just be the oppposite).
10
The magnitude of the magnetic force on a charged
particle is:
11
From the last statement and on the basis of the work–
kinetic energy theorem, we conclude that the kinetic
energy of a charged particle moving through a
magnetic field cannot be altered by the magnetic field
alone. The field can alter the direction of the velocity
vector, but it cannot change the speed or kinetic energy
of the particle.
1T= 1 N/C*m/s
Because a coulomb per second is defined to be an
ampere,
1T= 1 N/Am
A non-SI magnetic-field unit in common use, called the
gauss (G), is related to the tesla through the
conversion 1 T = 104 G.
12
Motion of a charged particle in a uniform magnetic
field
14
This means that the radius of the path is proportional to
the linear momentum mv of the particle and inversely
proportional to the magnitude of the charge on the
particle and to the magnitude of the magnetic field.
15
Helical path
16
Figure 7: A charged particle having a velocity vector
that has a component parallel to a uniform magnetic
field moves in a helical path.
19
Figure 9: The Earth’s magnetic field lines. Notice that a
south magnetic pole is near the north geographic pole
and a north magnetic pole is near the south geographic
pole.
22
Van Allen belts
The Sun
25
lamp) transfer the energy to the surface. This journey
takes more than a million years.
26
Figure 12: Composition and structure of Sun
27
These distortions create features ranging from
sunspots to spectacular eruptions known as flares and
coronal mass ejections. Flares are the most violent
eruptions in the solar system, while coronal mass
ejections are less violent but involve extraordinary
amounts of matter — a single ejection can spout
roughly 20 billion tons (18 billion metric tons) of matter
into space.
29
days after sunspot activity is at its highest. Several
agencies, such as NASA and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, also monitor solar activity
and issue aurora alerts when they are expected to put
on a particularly impressive show.
Colors of Aurora
The colors most often associated with the aurora
borealis are pink, green, yellow, blue, violet and
occasionally orange and white. Typically, when the
particles collide with oxygen, yellow and green are
produced. Interactions with nitrogen produce red,
violet, and occasionally blue colors.
30
Figure 13: Formation of color in Aurora Borealis
31
Conclusion
32
REFERENCES
https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/van-allen-
probes-spot-impenetrable-barrier-in-space
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/sol
ar-system/the-sun/
33
Commentary
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Grade: ________________
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Members of the commision:
1.________________ (president)
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