A remote lab for measuring, visualizing and analysing the field of a cylindrical permanent magnet

• Published in: European journal of physics 2018-11, Vol.39 (6), p.65808
• Main Authors: Hoyer, Christoph, Girwidz, Raimund
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: magnetic field of a permanent magnet; magnetization; multimedia; multiple representations; remote lab; visualizations of magnetic fields
• ISSN: 0143-0807; 1361-6404
• DOI: 10.1088/1361-6404/aae35a

Qualitative experiments such as visualizing magnetostatic fields with iron filings are often carried out in primary and secondary school, while quantitative evaluations of permanent magnetic fields are often left aside. This also applies to most lectures at university despite the fact that the topic would fit quite well into a lecture on electrodynamics. Gaining a quantitative picture of permanent magnetic fields is a rather difficult task. Calculating such fields often requires numerical methods and measuring them a very sensitive apparatus. However, as magnetic fields are invisible, properties of these fields have to be determined in order to visualize them quantitatively. A remote laboratory was developed to be used in teaching at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. It combines exact measurements and theoretical predictions for the field of a cylindrical permanent magnet. Furthermore, multiple representations of the measurements and possibilities of analysis are offered. The laboratory is accessible via https://www.didaktik.physik.uni-muenchen.de/sims/magneticfield/.