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SCIENCE PROJECT: TAKING THE SOLAR SYSTEM'S MAGNETIC PULSE
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Item No: K2078
Price: $57.00
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The sun sprays out into space a turbulent stream of charged particles called the solar wind. These particles in turn create a tiny magnetic field that pitches and shifts as it flows through the solar system. Scientists call this the interplanetary magnetic field.
With this super science project you will be able to sit in your living room and watch the eternal flow of solar magnetism as it washes over the earth.
The secret is Dr. Shawn's new take on one of the most sensitive instruments known to science.
It's called a torsion balance--a remarkable first-principle device that connects the observer directly to what is being observed. This torsion balance uses two tiny but ultra-powerful magnets delicately suspended from a fantastically delicate nylon fiber to detect subtle shifts in the local magnetic field. Shifts in the interplanetary magnetic field cause these magnets to twist every-so-slightly around the fiber.
Dr. Shawn has found a way to attach an ultra light-weight mirror -- just 7 thousandths of an inch thick -- to one of these magnets. Bouncing a laser beam off that mirror and onto a distant wall amplifies those tiny motions and makes them plainly visible. The result is an instrument that can connect you directly to the greater solar system.
And to prove you're really observing the interplanetary magnetic field, Dr. Shawn even shows you how to compare your observations with those of one of NASA's satellites that's posted a million miles away from earth where it continuously monitors the solar wind.
You'll learn how you can easily use a NASA Website to generate a graph that reveals exactly what the interplanetary magnetic field is up to at any time. When you see how the squiggles you observe in your living room match the squiggles in the satellite data, you will know that you really have connected yourself to the subtle workings of our solar system!
Who's science fair project can compete with that?
Here's what you get...
Magnetometer Packet
Diode Laser -- Ultra-fine Nylon Filament -- Four Ultra-Powerful Rare Earth Magnets -- Ultra-lightweight Mirror Just 0.007" Thick -- Clear Plastic Instrument Case -- Sewing Needle -- Tweezers -- Three Spring-Style Clothespins -- Nulling Assembly Packet
Four High-Field Ceramic Nulling Magnets -- Use these to cancel the earth's magnetic field so your instrument is exposed only to the fluctuating field of the solar system. These magnets are far more powerful than anything you'll find at Radio Shack.
Jewel-style CD Case --
Calibration Packet
Use this to discover the strength of the interplanetary magnetic field. (Sorry, but the downloadable version of this project cannot be calibrated.)
* Plastic Tape-style Ruler -- Index Card -- Two Spring-style Clothespins -- General Construction Packet
You also get everything you need to put it together! Resealable epoxy tubes -- index cards and popsicle sticks to mix the epoxy -- toothpicks to apply it -- and 2 pairs of plastic gloves to handle it without marring the mirror.
Data Collection and Analysis Packet
Ruler-- to record the motion of the laser spot in real time.
Dr. Shawn's Complete "Hypothesis - to - Conclusion"(TM) Instructions -- Dr. Shawn's simple and crystal clear instructions make it easy! And Dr. Shawn also shows you how you can be a real scientist. Propose and answer your own research questions. Using science to answer questions that interest you is fun. And it's also the best possible way to learn science and win your science fair!
And keep this in mind... With the homemade look of this project, no one will know you built if from a science kit unless you tell 'em!
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