Greendale, Wisconsin

Experiment Title: Magnificent Magnets

The experiment consists of three separate investigations involving magnets. The firs set-up consists of multiple ring ceramic magnets threaded on a pole. A camcorder will record the movement of the magnets during parabola. Students will use software to analyze the video and determine the distance of movement.

The second set-up will make use of the magnets in a speaker. A 15" subwoofer set vertically in a speaker box will be used to created sound waves. Multiple frequencies ranging from 50Hz to 200Hz will be played during flight. Data will be collected using a Vernier microphone probe. Students will analyze data for any changes in sound amplitude or frequency during the parabloa.

The third set-up consists of a cylindrical vial filled with ferromagnetic colloid and an alcohol/water mixture. A series of magnets attached to two slide-boards sandwich the vial. The slide boards will be moved in between flights to give different magnetic arrangements above and below the vial. Students will observe and measure the ferromagnetic fluid behavior using digital video collected from a camcorder.

L-R: Sarah Graybeal, NASA mentor; Wade Bosworth, lead teacher; John Wilkinson; Rob Ligochi