Solar Wind and Magnetosphere Interaction Lab

ASSESSMENT

Solar Wind and Magnetosphere Interaction Lab

by Lynne Zielinski

Laboratory Report Content Example

Laboratory reports can be completed in many formats based on the assessment values of the teacher. A typical standard report should contain all of the elements associated with a good lab report.

The typical report should include:

Purpose: A statement of purpose and hypotheses should be made in this section.

The purpose of this experiment is to determine how the solar wind interacts with the earth's magnetosphere.

It is hypothesized that when the cereal is introduced into the fluid that the heavier components, like the raisins will move to the bottom, the lighter flakes will not penetrate the fluid, and the iron filings will align with the magnetic field.

Procedure: A statement of the procedure actually used.

The viscous fluid was placed in the beaker so that it was 2/3's full. The magnets were placed on either side of the beaker with the north and south poles facing each other. The cereal was poured into the beaker and observations were made with respect to how its components interacted with the fluid and magnetic field. (Diagrams could also be included here.

Data: Drawings, models, and measurements made from observations..

Raisins - dropped quickly to the bottom of the beaker.

Flakes - stayed on top of the fluid, only a few began to sink after a long period of time.

Iron filings - moved very slowly through the liquid. See drawing for orientation of how they aligned.

Analysis: All data manipulation should be stated and described.

According to our data, the cereal mixture contained iron filings that aligned in bunches horizontally along the north/south magnetic field lines. As discussed in class, different orientations of the magnetic field lines indicate different places in the earth's magnetosphere. Look at the diagram of the earth's magnetosphere. The place circled is where our field lines might be located........

Conclusion: A concluding statement which supports or refutes the purpose and hypotheses of the experiment. A defensive argument should be included which is supported by analysis.

Based on my groups data and the class discussion, it can be concluded that most of the solar wind particles are deflected by the Earth's magnetosphere and never enter it. A small percentage does however. These particles usually have a high energy. The charged particles that are represented by the iron filings indicate that they will align with the Earth's magnetic field. Based on the class discussion, different orientations of the magnetic field will result in unusual iron filing alignment. Some of the patterns seen are shown in the diagrams below......

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