A compass is an excellent classroom tool for the exploration of magnetic fields. Any student can tell you that a compass is used to determine which direction is north, but when paired with some basic trigonometry, the compass can be used to actually measure the strength of the magnetic field due to a nearby magnet or current‐carrying wire. In this paper, we present a series of simple activities adapted from the Matter & Interactions textbook1 for doing just this. Interestingly, these simple measurements are comparable to predictions made by the Bohr model of the atom. Although antiquated, Bohr's atom can lead the way to a deeper analysis of the atomic properties of magnets. Although originally developed for an introductory calculus‐based course, these activities can easily be adapted for use in an algebra‐based class or even at the high school level.

Topics
Magnetic fields, Atomic properties, Atomic structure, Education
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© 2011 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2011
American Association of Physics Teachers
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