Get information about rotating magnetic fields and how electric machines use them for their operation. Discusses synchronous speed and number of poles on an electrical machine. The accompanying article discusses the topics found in the...

Although he is best known as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time, Carl Friedrich Gauss was also a pioneer in the study of magnetism and electricity. To facilitate an extensive survey of terrestrial magnetism, he invented an...

Physicists sometimes study matter under extreme conditions. For example, think of the emptiness of interstellar space vs. the unimaginable crush of pressure at the center of a neutron star, or an object dipped in liquid nitrogen vs. the...

See how electricity and magnetism interact with this activity. Activity has students creating a current by swinging a copper coil through a magnetic field. The copper coil will start a second coil swinging as well.

Named in honor of Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted, Denmark's first satellite has been observing and mapping the magnetic field of the Earth.

Chemist Paul Lauterbur pioneered the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) for medical imaging. He developed a technique, now known as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in the early 1970s that involves the introduction of gradients in...

This set of activities has middle schoolers using everyday items (batteries, magnets, compasses, iron and paper clips) to reveal the connection between electricity and magnetism. Ideally, students will already have experience building...

An interactive simulation that teaches about Faraday's Law, magnets, and magnetic fields by showing how a change in the magnetic flux can produce a flow of electricity. This simulation can either be downloaded or played online and...

This is a sample lesson on electromagnetism. It includes animated diagrams, interactive exercises, an audio option for reading the text, and comprehension questions throughout where students can type their answers or pick from...

An electromagnetic induction model that simulates an electric generator made from a conducting loop rotating in a uniform magnetic field and connected to an ammeter.

William Gilbert was an English physician and natural philosopher who wrote a six-volume treatise that compiled all of the information regarding magnetism and electricity known at the time. The work included descriptions of many of...

The Earth, the moon, the stars and just about everything in between has a magnetic field, and scientists use magnetometers when they need to know the strength of those fields.

Luigi Galvani was a pioneer in the field of electrophysiology, the branch of science concerned with electrical phenomena in the body. His experiments with dissected frogs and electrical charges led him to suggest the existence of a...

Theoretical physicist Julian Schwinger used the mathematical process of renormalization to rid the quantum field theory developed by Paul Dirac of serious incongruities with experimental observations that had nearly prompted the...

Provides a short explanation of the similarities between magnetism and electricity, the properties of their fields, and the effect they each have on a charged particle.

A collection of video lectures from a fundamentals of physics course taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The course is the second in the sequence and focuses on electricity and magnetism The videos feature topics on...

The main figure behind the first transatlantic telegraph knew very little about the science or engineering behind it, but was convinced that with it a fortune could be made. Read about these findings here.

Learn how electric charges work and about Coulomb's Law, which is used to calculate the strength of an electric force.

This site explores the history of power lines and cancer associations, as well as dispelling the myth. The science is explored by citing known facts, studies and experts in the field.

Create a simple device to see how a force is exerted on a current by a magnetic field. This activity shows how an electric motor can be made with this force.

An article and video about the most commonly used electrical machine called an induction motor. Learn about the parts of the motors that allow the motor to function. [4:43]

Text and animated graphic show how lightning is an example of a natural capacitor.