Week 6- 2.5 Comparing fields

Objectives:

• Investigate and compare theoretically gravitational, magnetic and electric fields, including directions and shapes of fields, attractive and repulsive fields, and the existence of dipoles and monopoles

Inquiry:

Contact versus non-contact forces


Poles:

1. Gravitational fields consist essentially of monopoles. The type of force is Attractive to the centre of mass and the field extends to an infinite distance.
2. Electric fields consist of monopoles and dipoles. Each separate charge consists of monopoles, when a positive and negative charge are seperated by a fixed distance, this creates a dipole. 
3. Magnetic fields consist of dipoles and they are attractive/repulsive a fixed distance. 

• A uniform field would be indicated by lines that remain evenly spaced throughout the region of the field
• in a static (unchanging) field, the strength of the field doesn't change with time
• the field around a monopole is radial, static but not uniform. it varies with the distance from the point source. 

Task 1:

click here This is 3D representation of the magnetic field around a bar magnet. Notice the fields exist and affect the area around poles, charges and masses in all three dimensions.