Unit 3 Description
In this unit, you will explore the principles of electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic phenomena and how they interrelate. Building on their understanding of electrostatics and magnetism from previous courses, you will examine the behaviour of electric charges in electric and magnetic fields and learn how changing magnetic fields can induce electric currents.
Through both theoretical and experimental investigations, you will analyze the operation of electric motors, generators, and transformers, and study the application of electromagnetic principles in technologies such as Maglev trains, wireless charging, and power transmission. This unit emphasizes the unification of electricity and magnetism through Maxwell's insights and introduces key concepts in modern physics.
Big Ideas:
- Electric and magnetic fields are related aspects of a single electromagnetic force.
- Moving charges produce magnetic fields, and changing magnetic fields induce electric currents.
- Understanding electromagnetism is key to developing and applying electrical technologies.
Key Topics:
- Electric fields and forces
- Magnetic fields and forces on moving charges
- Motion of charged particles in uniform electric and magnetic fields
- Electromagnetic induction (Faraday's Law and Lenz's Law)
- Applications: motors, generators, transformers
- Technologies using electromagnetic principles
Skilled Developed:
- Analyzing the motion of charged particles in fields
- Applying vector analysis to electric and magnetic forces
- Investigating electromagnetic induction experimentally
- Understanding the function and design of electromagnetic devices
- Communicating scientific ideas using accurate terminology and representations
Overall Expectations (Ontario Curriculum SPH4U):
E1. Analyse the properties of electric and magnetic fields, and assess the impact of the use of electromagnetic technologies on society and the environment.
E2. Investigate, in qualitative and quantitatve terms, electric and magnetic fields, and solve related problems.
E3. Demonstrate an understanding of the properties of electric charges and magnetic fields, and of electromagnetic interactions.