Right Hand Rule #2 for Conventional Current Flow

RHR#2 positioning on coiled conductor
Thumb points to North end of electromagnet

Coiled conductor and its magnetic field

An easy method of determining the magnetic field and the north and south ends of an eletromagnet produced by a coil is using the right hand rule #2 for conventional current flow, also known as RHR#2. Grasp the coiled conductor in such a way that your fingers curve in  the direction of conventional current, from positive to negative. The direction where your thumb extends to is the north (N) end of the electromagnet produced by the coil.

Earth's Magnetic Field

A compass points north because it is
attracted to the south pole of earth's magnet

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison between the placement of the
Magnetic Poles and the Geographical Poles

The earth is a giant magnet in which there is a north pole and south pole. In geograpghy class, students are taught geographical north and south poles where the north pole is at the top and the south pole is at the bottom of the earth. The "north" and "south" poles of the earth gives people direction and therefore, are given the names true north and true south. On the contrary, magnets have a north and south poles in which north is attracted to south and south is attracted to north. Therefore if a compass points north, the compass is actually attracted to the south magnetic pole of the earth. In actuality, with the science and physics of a magnet, the poles of earth are switched and the north pole is the south pole of a magnetic and the south pole is the north pole of a magnetic. These scientific poles are called magnetic south, which is the north pole, and magnetic north, which is the south pole. It can also be called Earth's south and Earth's north. But how can people differentiate between these two and which one is more reliable than the other? Geographical/ true north & south are more reliable because they are situated at the top and bottom of the earth unlike magnetic/ Earth's north & south, which is tilted at an angle and continues to tilt and change angles. In summary, in a geographical sense, the north pole is called the geographical north and the south pole is called the geographical south. Opposites attract so if the compass points north, that means it is attracted to a south charge therefore the north pole is actually magnetic south or Earth's south and the south pole is magnetic north or Earth's north.

Magnets can also lose their north and south magnetic properties when they are heated, therefore the Earth's inner core does not have magnetic forces. Although, one theory believes that the inner core, composed of liquid iron, eletrically conducts the magnetic properties of earth's pole. Additionally, it is at the equator that the magnetic field is perfectly parallel to earth's surface, the angle of difference between other areas, other than the equator, is called magnetic declination.

Works Cited

Castleman, A. (2008, February 28). The Earth Has More Than One North Pole: Scientific American. Science News, Articles and Information | Scientific American. Retrieved February 25, 2012, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-earth-has-more-than-one-north-pole

Mista, C. (2011, November 23). This is a password protected video on Vimeo. Vimeo, Video Sharing For You. Retrieved February 25, 2012, from http://vimeo.com/29641648

Russell, R. (2009, April 17). Earth's North Magnetic Pole. Windows to the Universe. Retrieved February 25, 2012, from http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Magnetosphere/earth_north_magnetic_pole.html

My Energy Ball

The Energy Ball Report

Figure 1. Series Circuit (6)

Figure 2. Parallel Circuit (2)

Figure 3. Electrolytes in the Human Body (5)

Figure 1 is a series circuit. A series circuit is a closed circuit in which there is only one path that the electrons can flow through between any two points therefore the electrons must flow through all the loads (6). Furthermore, when the circuit becomes an open circuit due to a break or opening in the series circuit, the entire circuit does not operate because the flow of electrons passing through the circuit is stopped when it reaches the break or opening in the series (7). For visual sense, if the wire was disconnected between bulbs one and two, it would be an open circuit in which the electrons cannot flow thorough the bulbs, hence neither bulb will flash. On the other hand figure 2 is a parallel circuit. A parallel circuit is two or more series circuits connected together which means multiple pathways where the electron current can flow through. This allows the electron current to flow through one load without affecting the other load and, as a result, if there is a break or opening in the circuit, resulting in an open circuit, it will not affect the operation of the entire circuit, unlike the series circuit (3).

Human bodies are natural conductors due to the ions therefore allowing the electrons to flow through the body (2). The human body’s fluids consist of water and electrolytes, refer to figure 3 (5). Electrolytes, also known as ions, are atoms that have either a positive or negative charge due to the gain or loss of electrons. Due to the positive or negative charges in the body’s fluids, it allows a current of electrons to flow through the body (5). The only logical possibility in which the energy ball does not work on an individual would be there is a presence of an insulator therefore inhibiting the flow of electrons. Insulators are materials that have low conductivity that, when a current flows through them, the current is negligible (4). The person could possibility be wearing rubber gloves, which are insulators, thus making the energy ball not work because the current through the rubber gloves is so low that the electrons cannot be conducted to complete the flow of electrons in the circuit. 

During this assignment, I solidified my knowledge over the differences between a series and parallel circuit and understand how an open circuit can cause a series circuit to stop operating all together while a parallel circuit can still operate through the other pathways. I also learned how there are electrolytes in the human body which are the main causes of electric conductivity in humans. For the learning skills, I learned responsibility by completing this assignment by the due date and organization by organizing my schedule and time for this report. I worked independently and collaborated my previous knowledge as well as the discussions in class and verified my statements with reliable internet resources. I had the initiative to complete this assignment independently and self educated myself in this course. Furthermore, I self regulated by periodically checking my work and self accessing the quality of this paper.

References

1. Cew. (n.d.). Parallel Circuits. Instructables - Make, How To, and DIY. Retrieved February 8, 2012, from http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Complete-Guide-To-Basic-Electronics/step3/Parallel-Circuits/

2. Heller, J. (2012, January 26). Electrical injury: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health. Retrieved February 8, 2012, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000053.htm

3. Henderson, T. (n.d.). Parallel Circuits. The Physics Classroom. Retrieved February 8, 2012, from http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/u9l4d.cfm

4. Insulators. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved February 08, 2012, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/insulators

5. Its Electrifying! Electrical Signals in the Human Body. (2010, September 3). Home for HASPI, San Diego's Health and Science Pipeline Initiative.. Retrieved February 8, 2012, from http://haspi.org/curriculum-library/MedicalChemistry/00%20Medical%20Chemistry%20Core%20Labs/02ab_Core%20Lab__It's%20Electrifying!%20Electrical%20Signals%20in%20the%20Human%20Body.pdf

6. Ruth, J. (n.d.).  circuit .  Laurier Elementary . Retrieved February 8, 2012, from http://lau.vsb.bc.ca/studentp/judyruth/circuit.html

7. Series Circuit. (n.d.). Fundamentals of Electricity. Retrieved February 8, 2012, from http://epb.apogee.net/foe/fcsps.asp

8. The Series Circuit. (n.d.). NDT Research Centre. Retrieved February 8, 2012, from http://www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResources/HighSchool/Electricity/seriescircuit.htm