Magnetism and Magnetic Fields

The study of magnetism and magnetic fields readily follows the study of electricity and is normally a second-semester topic in a first-year physics course. One of the difficulties that a teacher may encounter is that students often confuse magnetic poles with electric charges. Be sure that students...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mader, Jan, Winn, Mary
Format: Book Part
Language:unknown
Published: AIP Publishing LLCMelville, New York 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/9780735420816_013
https://pubs.aip.org/books/book/chapter-pdf/12809390/9780735420816_013.pdf
Description
Summary:The study of magnetism and magnetic fields readily follows the study of electricity and is normally a second-semester topic in a first-year physics course. One of the difficulties that a teacher may encounter is that students often confuse magnetic poles with electric charges. Be sure that students refer to north and south poles rather than “positive” and “negative” poles to avoid confusion with electrical principles. Students may be unaware that the magnetic pole at or near Earth’s geographic North Pole is actually a magnetic South Pole. Some textbooks explain the “north-seeking” nature of Earth’s “North” Pole.