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Magnetism at the Poles

Magnetism is a fascinating subject and very easy to demonstrate on a small scale to students. The effects of magnetism become very interesting in the polar regions due to the orientation of the Earth’s magnetic field causing effects such as the aurora. Magnetism is also an interesting issue when navigating ships, and as you can investigate using a magnetic compass is not as straightforward as students might think!

In this section are ideas for investigations/demonstrations that are simple and easy to carry out. As much theory as possible has been included to help teachers who don’t have a background in the physical sciences provide explanations of magnetic effects to students

Acknowledgements:

Bowditch, The American Practical Navigator, US Government (2002)

Gerry O'Doherty, 2nd Mate, Aurora Australis

Peter Green, Claremont College, Tasmania (for activity ideas)