- Explore_ Earth's Magnetic Field (2023) #2

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Harvard University *

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Physics

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Oct 30, 2023

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pdf

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1

Uploaded by AmbassadorGiraffeMaster852

Earth’s Magnetic Field Have you ever stopped to think about how a compass works? How is it that a little piece of metal always points north, no matter where you are on the planet? What is causing it to align in such a way? You’re probably saying “Earth’s magnetic field...duh!” And you’re absolutely right! But why does Earth have a magnetic field? What actually causes its magnetic field? And how do we know? Explore: Bar Magnets Something curious happens when you hang a bar magnet from a ring stand: after a few seconds of swinging around, it stops in a certain orientation. The phenomenon only becomes obvious when you set up a room full of bar magnets. Obviously, the magnets oriented themselves the way they did because of Earth’s magnetic field. But what actually causes Earth’s magnetic field? After all, not every planet in our solar system has a magnetic field. In fact, our two closest neighbors, Venus and Mars, have no magnetic field! Explore: Magnetism and Electricity The mysteries of magnetism deepen when you introduce electricity. But why? How are they connected? Something interesting happens when you pass an electric field near a compass. Watch the video linked above to observe. Explain: The Connection between Electricity and Magnetism Turns out, the branch of science known as physics has helped us understand that where there is electricity, there is magnetism and where there is magnetism, there is electricity. So since the Earth clearly has a magnetic field, there must be electricity flowing! But where? In the crust? In the mantle? In the core? Electricity is essentially the movement of electrons. Metals have many electrons that are free to move, and if the metal is molten and moving in a particular path, that liquid metal will create an electrical field and therefore a magnetic field! Let’s figure out where this electricity (and therefore the Earth’s magnetic field) is being generated. Think back to what you have already learned. In the Meteorites article, we learned that meteorites deposited, among other things, iron. Think about the density of iron in comparison with other materials in Earth. What would iron’s comparative density cause it to do in terms of layering? (Think back to the lava lamp.) Iron might sink because it has higher density Think about the process of a phase change: solid to liquid, liquid to gas. If the melting point of Iron is 1538° C, and the temperature of the outer core is between 4500° and 5500° C, what would Iron do under these conditions? melt As we hope you can see, the dense iron would sink below the other less dense materials, ending up in the core. The core is extremely hot, which causes the iron to be molten, which means it’s a liquid. But in order for electricity and magnetism to be generated, the liquid must be moving, as stated above, “in a particular path”. What do you think causes the liquid iron to move in a particular path? (Is our planet moving? Think about why we have day and night.) The iron in the outer core moves because on convection.
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