Magnetism is a fascinating invisible force – it influences the environment around it. A magnet is a material that can pull certain types of metal towards itself. Unlike many other forces ...
Magnetism is an engaging context for science learning, and investigating the properties of magnets is a great activity for building curiosity. Moving students from simply playing with magnets to ...
Magnetism and electricity are forces generated by the movement of electrons. They are both electromagnetic forces – the interplay of these two forces is the basis for many modern technologies ...
We happily live in the Earth’s gaseous lower atmosphere composed of a mixture of gases – primarily nitrogen and oxygen. However, if we move upwards from the Earth’s surface, the environment ...
Blood contains haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is an iron (Fe) containing protein that transports oxygen around the body from the lungs to where it is needed, like the brain or muscles. The structure of ...
In this video, Associate Professor Bob Lloyd states that it is nuclear fusion that fuels the Sun. He then goes on to explain in simple terms how this process works by fusing lighter elements into ...
Stars like our Sun are made of ionised gas known as plasma. In fact, space is dominated by plasma – space scientists (astrophysicists) believe that about 99% of matter in the universe is plasma ...
Superconductors are materials that lose all resistance to electric current when cooled to a certain temperature. This temperature depends on the structure and composition of the material. The ...
Three historic discoveries were instrumental in the development of electric motors – the invention of the battery by Alessandro Volta in 1800, the generation of a magnetic field from electric ...
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to detect things an X-ray can’t. MRI can look for disease, bleeding, Parkinson’s disease and head injuries. For example, we can use MRI to image water ...
The earliest weather vane we know about was in Greece in 48 BC, erected in honour of the Greek god Triton. It became quite popular for the houses of the wealthy Greeks around this time to have ...
The classical states of matter are solid, liquid and gas. In this video clip, Associate Professor Bob Lloyd from the Physics Department, University of Otago, explains how gas can be converted ...
The Earth has a magnetic field around it, and some magnetic minerals line up with that field. A compass also lines up in the field so that one end points north. The polarity of the Earth’s ...
Dr Richard Watts from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Canterbury talks about how an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine works. An MRI machine uses a combination ...
Dr Richard Watts from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Canterbury explains why an MRI machine is so expensive.
What is magnetism used for? Do you have fridge magnets? Have you ever noticed that the refrigerator door pulls itself shut when you start to close it? These magnets are exactly like the bar ...
In this recorded professional learning session, Lyn Rogers and Dr Simon Taylor explore aspects of magnetism. They: explore how magnetism can be used as a context to engage students in scientific ...
Dr Nick Strickland, a research scientist working in the field of superconductivity at Industrial Research Limited (IRL), describes some of the properties that superconductive materials show. He ...
In this activity, students investigate the pattern of magnetic fields on a fridge magnet. This will give them an idea of the principle behind scanning probe and magnetic force microscopes. By the ...
In this activity, students practise and then design n-back tests. By the end of this activity, students should be able to: understand how the n-back test works explain the role of MRI in testing ...
Otago University Space Physicist Associate Professor Craig Rodger explains what a coronal mass ejection (CME) is. He then goes on to describe the impact such an event could have on the Earth’s ...
Dr Richard Watts from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Canterbury talks about functional MRI, which looks at how the brain responds over time as patients carry out ...
This slideshow supports the Exploring magnetism webinar. Use the Slideshow menu for further options, including view full screen, and go here for the download option.
Dr Richard Watts from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Canterbury talks about what an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine is used for. With an MRI, you can scan ...
