ELECTROMAGNETISM LAB 1 REPORT

STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF COMPUTING AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES(SCES)

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING (BSEEE)

PART 1:

INVESTIGATING THE FIELDS AROUND A MAGNET: THE MAGNETIC FIELD.

Lecturer: Eng Joseph Obadha Period Supervisor: Mr. Simon Juma

Student’s Name: Boniface Kulanko

Adm. No: 168349.

Magnetic polarities

Once the magnetic needle is fixed on the proper support, move the linear magnet near it, taking

care not to touch it so that its magnetization will not be altered.

Questions.

1. Observing these phenomena, is it possible to establish how many magnetic polarities

there are?

Two: North and South poles at opposite ends of the magnet.

2. What kind of force is the one acting between homonym polarities?
Similar poles repel each other.
 3. What kind of force is the one acting between heteronym polarities?
Opposite poles attract each other.

2.1 Flux Lines

We Placed a magnet in the centre of a paper. Used a magnetic needle to trace its direction at
different points and then marked the needle's direction on the paper each time.

Questions
(i) What does a magnet create around it?
A magnet creates a magnetic field around it.
(ii) What does the direction taken by the needle in each point of the field
indicate?
The direction taken by the needle at each point of the field shows the
direction of the electric field.
(iii) How do you call the lines tangent to the needle direction in each point of
the field?
These lines are known as magnetic field lines.

Spectrum of a Linear Magnet

We place a plexiglass plate over the magnet as shown in Figure 2. Then, we sprinkle iron filings on
the plate and gently tap its edge. The filings arrange themselves, showing the magnetic field pattern.

Questions
1) How do you call the lines plotted by the pins of the iron filings?
The lines plotted by the iron fillings are known as magnetic field lines

2) Which is the physical meaning of such lines?

The lines show the direction of the magnetic field. They also indicate magnetic field
strength where clear dense lines show a strong magnetic field while less dense lines
show a weak magnetic field.
Spectrum of a magnetic pole
We repeated the last exercise setting the magnets as in figure below.

Question
1. Which is the reason why the flux lines seem directed to infinity?
The flux lines seem to be directed to infinity as magnetic field lines are continuous
and point towards the other magnetic pole where the terminate. In the above case
the magnetic field lines do not terminate as it is a single pole, thus they point
outwards extending infinitely.

Spectrum of a U-magnet
After setting everything as indicated in figure, we spreaded some iron filings on the plexiglass plate. In
this way, you can see the flux lines of the magnetic field created by a magnet take the shape of
horseshoe

Question.

1) Which is the orientation of the flux lines? From North to South, or vice versa?
The flux lines are oriented from the north pole to the south pole.

PART 2

AMPERES THEORY OF MAGNETISM AND THE MAGNETIC EFECT OF THE ELECTRIC CURRENT.

Theory

When electric current flows through a straight wire, it creates a magnetic field around it. This
happens because moving charges produce both electric and magnetic fields, which are connected. A
moving charge generates an electric field and a magnetic field. Ampère’s Law explains the
relationship between electric currents and the magnetic fields they create.
In 1820, Christian Oersted discovered that a current-carrying wire creates magnetic field lines in
circles around it. We can use the right-hand thumb rule to find the direction of these lines:

• Point your thumb in the direction of the current.

• Curl your fingers around the wire.

• The way your fingers curl shows the direction of the magnetic field.

The strength of the magnetic field (B) at a distance dd from a long wire with current II can be
calculated using a specific formula.
𝝁0 𝑰⁄
𝑩= 2𝝅𝒅

Apparatus

1. Wire (linear conductor)

2. Voltage source

3. Magnetic compass

4. Data logger

Procedure

1. Set up a wire with no current (open circuit) and apply 3V across it.

2. Place a compass near the wire so the needle points parallel to it.

3. Connect a data logger to measure the magnetic field strength at different distances.

4. Close the circuit, observe the compass needle, and record the data logger reading. Move the
compass and data logger farther from the wire in steps, opening the circuit while moving.

5. Repeat the steps using 6V.

Observation
The compass needle moved less as it was placed farther from the wire when the circuit was closed.

• The magnetic needle's movement shows how the field changes with distance.

• Data logger results confirm that magnetic intensity decreases as the distance from the
conductor or coil increases

Magnetic field on a coil.

A coil produces a stronger magnetic field at its centre. The strength depends on the current,
the number of loops (n), and the coil's size. Moving away from the coil reduces the field's
effect.

V = 3V

d(cm) 0 2 4 6 8 10 12
H 6.7 6.3 5.5 4,4 3.4 2.6 2.2
V = 6V

d(cm) 0 2 4 6 8 10
H 11.2 10.4 7.6 5.5 4.0 3.2

Discussion and conclusion.

• The magnetic needle moved less as it got farther from the wire, showing that the magnetic
field gets weaker with distance.

• The value of H (magnetic intensity) became smaller (more negative) as the distance
increased, proving the field weakens with distance.

• Magnetic field strength decreases with distance because the field lines spread out over a
larger area, making them less concentrated.