January 24 - Fusion and Magnets

The Challenge - January 24

Introduction

THE EXPERT

A physicist helping to recreate the energy that occurs in the stars to provide clean energy to Earth through plasma fusion.

THE CHALLENGE

MIT’s Shon Mackie is working to harness the power of the Sun to create limitless clean energy on Earth. Woah!

Get excited about plasma science and fusion. This 4th state of matter is uncommon on Earth, but the most abundant state of matter in our universe. How does the sun produce energy? And how can we do that here on Earth? Join MIT scientists working on this exciting challenge.

Magnets are the key! MIT’s Shon Mackie invites your students to come on an exciting physics journey with him and learn all about magnets and their possibilities. Explore the basics of magnets and even build electromagnets. What creative and challenging project can your students do to harness the energy potential of magnets?  

BIS STEAM

STEAM at BISHCMC is about how we use things we learn in different specialist lessons and bring them together to create something amazing. Today, you will be using Physics, Art, Maths, Computing/ICT, and DT and perhaps other skills to explore magnets, and what, when I asked Shon about this, will be the foundation for mankind's escape from Earth into the galaxy, and beyond. 

HOW COOL IS THAT!

Some additional resources to look through.

MIT Abstracts: A Star in a Jar with Shon Mackie

PSFC

What is PSFC

PSFC: Research

PSFC: Magnetic Fusion Energy

PSFC: SPARC

Phys.org: James Webb Space Telescope finds possible evidence of dark stars

Phys.org: New technique may help achieve mass production fusion energy

MIT News: MIT-designed project achieves major advance toward fusion energy

MIT News: New record for fusion

New York Times: Scientists Achieve Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough With Blast of 192 Lasers

Outcomes

To investigate the challenge as laid down by MIT. 

To produce a video of how to respond to the challenge as a group. The video will include:

• An introduction, explaining what the viewer will be watching.

• A section showing something interesting you found about the research at MIT.

• A section showing your team complete the iron filings experiment and evidence for your drawing. 

• A section showing you complete your net, including the finished article. What direction do the magnetic fields flow? Nets will be made individually. 

• A section showing your team construct and (hopefully) get working your electromagnet.

• A section explaining your analysis worksheet

• A section explaining your design worksheet
  
  (if you have time)

• Your build section. How would you build it? 

• Evaluation. 

Session 1 (100 minutes) - Exploring what a magnet is.

Plan - (Can be flexible). 

0:00 - 2:00 Answer the register and watch the video above

2:00 - 12:00 - Explore other resources from the list above. Make a note of anything that you find interesting. 

12:00 - 20:00 Decide on the platform you want for your presentation. The default will be PowerPoint, you can use PowerPoint to record a presentation with your voice over the top and export it as an MP4. There are loads of other options. Perhaps you are a budding YouTuber? Here is your chance to show off! Aim to tick off the first two parts of the video. 

20:00 - 24:00 Listen as your teacher goes through the expectations and outcomes for the day.

24:00 - 27:00 - Watch the video from Mr. Stockley demonstrating how to safely complete the iron filings experiment.

27:00 - 32:00 Complete your version in pairs of the iron filings experiment, including the drawing. The drawing can be 2D or 3D. You can use isometric paper to supply a 3D drawing. Take pride in your drawing, sharpen your pencil, use a ruler and take your time. Take a photo of the drawing and ensure it is available for use later on in the presentation

32:00 - 35:00 Return equipment and clear the work area.

35:00 - 40:00 In your groups work on the presentation detailing the first stage of the investigation. Look above at the suggested structure for the video. This needs to be an MP4, so can be as simple as a PowerPoint,  or if using video software can be Imovie or Movie Maker. 

40:00 - 43:00 Collect Equipment for net.  You will need as a minimum

For you

• 1 x piece of A4 paper for a proof of concept.

• 1 x A4 card to construct your final build.

• 1 x length of ribbon. Look at the tree, how much are you going to need?

• Something to construct the representation of the magnetic field. 

• A SHARP pencil

Access for your table

• A cutting board

• Scissors

• glue

• Decorative material

• Access to a printer.

Remember to take photos along the way.  You will need evidence for your group's video. You don't just need evidence of one net in the video, you can all appear as stars :)

Mr. Correria has given you a video of how to draw it properly. (I know it's hard, but it's good practice for DT and Maths, I promise!)

43:00 - 53:00 Draw Net. The space available for the cube will be 30mm x 30mm x 100mm. Remember you also need to show a way of representing the magnetic field around your magnet. Remember to also include the tabs you are going to use to construct your net. The glue has to go somewhere!

53:00 - 73:00 Decorate Net. Can be by hand or by use of computer graphics. Photoshop? Canva? Illustrator? (You don't have to copy this exact design!)  Are you going to have a dragon on one face of the net, or across the whole of the surface of the net? Is it going to be on a background or plain white? There are lots of decisions to make to make it look good, just putting "stuff on paper" isn't good enough!

73:00 - 83:00 Construct and hang Net, including field lines.

83:00 - 93:00 Update investigation presentation

93:00 - 100:00 Hang magnet, clear away station, and get ready for break time. 

What is a magnet? What does a field look like? What is a magnetic field anyway? Complete the exercises above as your teacher talks you through the exercises. It's Tet soon, the year of the dragon, so can you decorate your magnets with a suitable TET theme? This doesn't have to be drawn, it can be delivered however you choose.

Session 2 (100 minutes) Exploring Electromagnets

Plan, (Can be flexible)

0:00 - 2:00 Register

2:00 - 12:00 Watch Video from Mr.Stockley detailing Magnetism and electromagnets. 

12:00 - 14:00 - Watch Video from me detailing how to construct the electromagnet using the blue tac and 3D printed parts. 

14:00 - 30:00 In groups, try to get the magnet to spin. Ensure you take photos, and videos for your blog/investigation.

30:00 - 35:00 Investigate what gears you would need to get the device to spin. What is it going to spin? Are there differing types of gears?

35:00 - 45:00 Investigate the UNSDG. Which area are you going to investigate?

45:00 - 55:00 Fill in the Analysis worksheet. Success criteria may be difficult here

55:00 - 75:00 Fill in Design Worksheet. How are you going to show your designs? Can you use Tinkercad? Fusion? (Only if you are really good at it). Hand-drawn sketches and photographs for your presentation?

75:00 - 90:00 Finish the presentation on the video. Include the findings of the Analysis and Design Sheets, you don't necessarily need precise copies of the sheets. Include a wide range of findings from all of your group. 

90:00 - 95:00 Submit the presentation on the form.

95:00 - 100:00 Return equipment, 

It's not just MIT that lays claim to experts - here is our own Mr. Stockley explaining a concept to you about how an electromagnet works.  You will be given a kit to play with, let's see if you can make your own electromagnet, and once you have it, then think about how you could use it. Could you, as a group, use this to solve a problem identified in the UN Social Development Goals?

Using the BISHCMC problem-solving framework of 

• Analyse the problem and set the success criteria.

• Design a solution to the problem.

• Build your solution to the problem.

• Evaluate the solution to the problem including the success criteria. 

Explore the electromagnet kit you have been given and come up with some ideas for some problems that the UN Social Development Goals put forward for humanity to solve.

I look forward to seeing a working demonstration as part of your videos, (its okay if for whatever reason it doesn't quite work). 

Iron Filings Demonstration from Mr Stockley

How to draw the net correctly from Mr. Correria.

ElectroMagnet Demonstration from Mr Stockley