Constructing of Simple Magnetic Swing

Maricel S. Pelaez, Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology

Peñafrancia Avenue Naga City
*Corresponding Author: mspelaez@astean.biscast.edu.ph
Abstract
Magnetic swing is a device used to demonstrate the direction current, magnetic field and force, commonly
consist of copper wire, battery and magnet. The first man who discovered that a current carrying conductor
experiences a force when placed in a magnetic field is Hans Christian Oersted, a Danish physicist and chemist. This
study seeks to construct a simple magnetic swing using the available things found at home. Also this study wants to
find out if the made magnetic swing will work and be able to identify the direction of current, magnetic field and
force. In constructing magnetic swing, the researcher first make a base using plywood followed by pasting the two
wooden bars at some distance from one another, then make a hole from the upper part of wooden bars and insert the
stick. Then put a small loop of some copper wire to the sticks. Hang there the made coiled copper wire. Connect it to
the battery using the available copper wire. Lastly paste the magnet on the base below the coiled copper wire. In the
experiment, the researcher are able to prove that the constructed magnetic swing is working as the researcher was
able to identify the direction of current, magnetic field and force. The researcher was able to make her own magnetic
swing.
Keywords: Magnetic swing, Current, Force, Magnetic Field

1. Introduction
A magnetic swing is a device which is used to present the flow or direction of current and force. In the earlier
time, a Danish physicist and chemist, Hans Christian Oersted introduced his own law in electromagnetism, Oersted's
law, stating that an electric current creates a magnetic field [1]. Then Andre Marie Ampere, a French mathematician
dedicated so much to the study of electricity and magnetism. He explain the electro-dynamic theory. He stated that the
two parallel wires, which carry a current, attracted each other if the currents flowed in the same direction and opposed
each other if the currents are flowing in opposite directions. The laws that explain the interaction of currents with
magnetic fields in a circuit and because of that, the unit for electric current, the amp, was derived from his name [2].
Starting about a decade after Oersted's discovery, there is a French physicist, André Ampère developed a mathematical
law to describe the magnetic forces between current carrying wires [3]. Magnetic swing is a device used to demonstrate
the direction of force and electric field, commonly consist of copper wire, battery and magnet [4]. Many present
invention are directed to a powered children's swing. Some made swing includes a swing frame or a seat, one or more
swing arms. The magnetic components are design to generate a magnetic force that manage the seat along a swing path.
The swing control circuit is customized to manage the magnetic components based on a minimum on input from the
swing motion sensor and give rise to control signals causing the seat to swing with a greatly constant amplitude as
stated by a user [5]. Through this inventions, many different models of magnetic swing was made and innovated.
This study seeks to construct a simple magnetic swing using only the materials found at home. Also this study
wants to determine if the simple constructed magnetic swing will work and can be used to identify direction of current,
magnetic field and force. In constructing the device, using only the materials at home, the researcher first make a base
using plywood followed by pasting the two wooden bars at some distance from one another, then make a hole from the
upper part of wooden bars and insert the stick. Then put a small loop of some copper wire to the stick. Hang there the
made coiled copper wire. Connect it to the battery using the available copper wire. Lastly paste the magnet on the base
below the coiled copper wire. The importance of this study is that the materials used in constructing this magnetic swing
are able to find at home. Aside from that the constructed magnetic swing is inexpensive and can really be used to present
the direction of current, magnetic field and force.
2. Methodology
2.1 Materials
The materials used in the study are: Copper wire, Plywood, Wooden Bars, Barbeque stick, 2
Batteries, 2 ring magnets with different sizes.

2.2 Construction of the Simple Magnetic Swing

In constructing magnetic swing, the researcher used a plywood to make a base, followed by fixing the
wooden bars in the wooden base at some distance from one another. Next the researcher make a hole on the upper
part of the 2 wooden bars and insert the barbeque stick. Followed by making a small loop with some copper wire to
the stick. Then the researcher take a long single copper wire and make a coiled copper wire. Hang the coiled
copper wire to the loops attached to the stick using copper wires. The researcher make sure that the copper wire
swings freely from the loops. Connect the two small loop which are attached to the barbeque stick to the battery
with the help of copper wires. Paste the ring magnet on the base below the swing and connect the wire to the
battery, the power source so that the circuit will be complete. The constructed magnetic swing was shown below.

Fig. 1 The constructed magnetic swing

3. Results and Discussion
The made Magnetic swing
Following the steps in constructing the magnetic swing, using only the materials found at home, it works.
The coiled copper wire swing, and the researcher was able to identify the direction of current, magnetic field and
force. The researcher made sure that the hung copper wire will swing when the circuit is complete. At first when the
researcher used only the small size of ring magnet and one battery, the copper wire hung on there swing on a limited
space only, that the researcher won’t be able to see if it really swinging unless she will focus her eyes on the hung
wire. So the researcher adds one battery so it does have now a total of two batteries at the same time the researcher
also changed the magnet, instead of using the small ring magnet, the researcher used the large ring magnet. Thus, the
wire hung up swing back and forth obviously. When the power is switched on, a current passes through the wire. In
the magnetic field of the ring magnet, current carrying wire experiences a force given by where is the length of the
conductor. The direction of this force is identified by the right hand thumb rule. The magnetic field strive a force on
a current-carrying wire in a direction. This force is the reason why the wire move, since typical currents consist of
very large numbers of moving charges. When the magnetic field direction get reverses as the magnet is flip over, the
direction of the force will also reverses. Same with the current direction if it get reversed, the force also reverses its
direction. It also introduces the idea that increasing the voltage of the battery increased the current which in turn
increased the magnitude of the force and the amplitude. When instead of small size of ring magnet the researcher put
the big size ring magnet, wherein it was observe that the magnetic field strength increases causing the force to
increase again. And help the wire to swing back and forth. A magnetic swing is essentially in presenting the
direction of current, magnetic field and force.

Fig. 2 The image of swinging copper wire with only one battery and small size of ring magnet.
Fig. 2 Shows the clear image of the hung coiled copper wire which swings on a limited space only. So you won’t
be able to see that it is swinging if you won’t focus your eyes to the copper wire.
 Fig. 3 The image of swinging coiled copper wire with two batteries and large size of ring magnet.

Fig. 3 Shows the clear image of the hung coiled copper wire that swings freely.
4. Conclusion
In the earlier times, various scientists had their own model of magnetic swing, some are innovated. Magnetic
swing is defined as a device that is very helpful in identifying the direction of current and force. To observe the
relationship between electricity and magnetism, and the magnetic force in a current-carrying wire as well as its direction
and the direction of current and magnetic field. The first man who discovered that a current carrying conductor
experiences a force when placed in a magnetic field is Hans Christian Oersted, a Danish physicist and chemist. Starting
from Oersted concluded, magnetic swing are made and innovated. This study seeks to construct simple magnetic swing
using only the materials at home. Also this study wants to determine if the constructed magnetic swing can really used
to identify the direction of current, magnetic field and force. The materials used in the study are copper wire, plywood,
wooden bars, barbeque stick, 2 batteries, 2 ring magnets with different sizes, and the constructed magnetic swing was
able to work and can be used to present the direction of current, magnetic field and force. In constructing the magnetic
swing, the researcher first make a base using plywood followed by pasting the two wooden bars at some distance from
one another, then make a hole from the upper part of wooden bars and insert the stick. Then put a small loop of some
copper wire to the sticks. Hang there the made coiled copper wire. Connect it to the battery using the available copper
wire. Lastly paste the magnet on the base below the coiled copper wire. In the experiment, it was proved that the made
magnetic swing is really working, that can be used to present about the direction of current, magnetic field and force.
The importance of this study is that the constructed magnetic swing is inexpensive and the materials that had been used
can found at home and available in the local areas.
The researcher made sure that the magnetic swing will work. Thus, it will be able to use in presenting or
identifying the direction of current, magnetic field and force.
Acknowledgement
The researcher would like to thanks of gratitude to their instructor for
challenging them and letting this activity to be conducted and gain an experience.
The parent of the researcher, for giving such full support in terms of financially and morally so that
the researcher can gather the needed resources for this study.
To Mrs. Jessica Panelo, for letting the researcher used her computer enable to finished
the written report quickly.
And last but not the least, to Almighty God, for giving the researcher the strength and
guidance in making this study and for giving a clear thinking of the researcher to have this
study completed and well done.

References
[1] Yosida, K., “Theory of Magnetism”, Springer, 1996
[2] Mattis, D.C., “The Theory of Magnetism”, vol., Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1987
[3] Samuel, S., “Effective Field Theories of Magnetism”, Saunders, 1966
[4] Blackwood, O H, Kelly, W C, and Bell, R M, General Physics, 4th Edition, Wiley,1973
[5] Giancoli, Douglas C., Physics, 4th Ed, Prentice Hall, (1995)
Appendix

Laboratory Activity

Name: _____________________ Date: ___________________

Course and Section: ____________________ Score: ___________________

Making a Simple Magnetic Swing

I. OBJECTIVE
1. Describe the relationship of current, magnetic field and force.
2. Be able to present a simple magnetic swing.

II. MATERIALS
Copper wire, Plywood, 2 Wooden Bars, 1 Barbeque stick, 2 Batteries, 2 ring magnets with different
sizes.

III. PROCEDURE
1. Make a base using plywood.

2. Fix the wooden bars in the wooden base at some distance from one another.

3. Make a hole on the upper part of the 2 wooden bars and insert the barbeque stick.

4. Make a small loop with some copper wire to the stick.

5. Take a long single copper wire and make a coiled copper wire. Just like this:

6. Hang the coiled copper wire to the loops attached to the stick using copper wires. Make sure that the
copper wire swings freely from the loops.

7. Connect the two small loop which are attached to the barbeque stick to the battery with the help of copper
wires.

8. Paste the ring magnet on the base below the swing.

 The constructed magnetic swing should look like this:

9. Connect the wire to the battery, the power source so that the circuit will be complete.
Then observe. 10. Flip over the ring magnet. See what happened.

11. Interchange the terminals of the battery. Observe.

12. Increase the voltage in the battery/add another battery. Repeat the above process and compare the
amplitude of wire as it swing.

13. Change the magnet with the bigger one. And compare the amplitude of wire again as it swing.

IV. QUESTIONS
1. What happened to the hang coiled copper wire when you connect the wire to the battery wherein
the circuit is now complete?
2. What does it tells us?
3. What happened when you flip over the ring magnet?
4. What did you observe when you interchange the terminals of the battery?
5. As you add another battery, compare the amplitude of wire as it swing.
6. After replacing the magnet with the bigger one, what have you observe?
7. What can you concluded based from the activity?

GOOD LUCK
 DOCUMENTATION

Figure 1 Pasting the two wooden bars on the base Figure 2 The coiled copper wire

Figure 3 Pasting the small loop of some Figure 4 Pasting the magnet on the base
copper wire to the stick below the coiled copper wire.

Figure 5 The constructed magnetic swing, with

Figure 6 The constructed magnetic swing
only one battery and small ring magnet
with two batteries and big ring magnet.