Geomagnetism: Earth's Magnetic Field

In two lessons, designed for grades 6-12, students will explore how Earth’s magnetic field protects us from harmful space weather that can damage communications systems, disrupt navigation systems, and overwhelm the electric grid. Students will use a GPS-enabled smartphone or tablet as a magnetometer to gather data on the intensity of magnetic fields in their local environment. Finally, students will engage in a community/citizen science project to contribute authentic geomagnetic data to add to a database that scientists use to better understand and map how space weather causes disturbances to the magnetic field.

 

Context for Use

In two lessons, designed for grades 6-12, students will explore how Earth’s magnetic field protects us from harmful space weather that can damage communications systems, disrupt navigation systems, and overwhelm the electric grid. 

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Goals Header
Learning Goals

  • Develop a model to describe a phenomenon in which solar storms impact Earth’s magnetic field and disrupt human systems.
  • Plan and investigate the strength of magnetic fields created by electronics or metal objects. 
  • Collect data on how solar activity impacts the intensity of Earth’s magnetic field

Teaching Materials

Geomagnetism: Earth’s Magnetic Field Teacher Guide
Geomagnetism: Earth's Magnetic Field Slides
Geomagnetism: Earth's Magnetic Field Student Worksheet
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