A compass reads its neighborhood.
Its north tip follows the local field. With two magnets, that direction comes from their combined fields.
PHYSICS / EXPERIMENTAL LAB 003
Make the invisible visible.
THE INDUCTION STATION
LIVE MODELTurn motion into electricity.
Grab the magnet and sweep it back and forth through the coil.
PREDICT → TRY → EXPLAIN
Make a prediction, then test it on the bench.
THE SCIENCE, WITH THE LIGHTS ON
Model assumptions
TAKE THE IDEA WITH YOU
Three experiments. A different way to see.
A sideways force bends a path.
A magnetic force can change a particle’s direction without changing its speed. Reverse the charge, reverse the bend.
A changing field can make voltage.
Motion changes the magnetic flux through a coil. Stop the magnet and the induced voltage returns to zero.
ONE LAST CHALLENGE
A bicycle dynamo needs more voltage at the same wheel speed. What could you change?
Use an idea from the electricity experiment to explain your choice.
About this experiment & educator notes
Magnet Lab is a free Learning Frontier interactive beta for curious learners aged 12 and up. No prior physics is required; vectors and calculus are optional. Allow 15–25 minutes.
By the end, learners should predict how superposed fields change compass direction, predict how charge and field affect circular motion, and explain why changing flux induces voltage. Ask learners to change one variable, describe the evidence, and then test the opposite case.
Suggested path: flip a magnet and compare the midpoint; reverse a particle’s charge; compare a slow and fast magnet pass through the coil. The dynamo question checks transfer to a new setting. This beta has not yet undergone representative learner testing and makes no claim of proven learning effectiveness.
Sources, equations & credits
Scientific references: OpenStax: magnetic fields and field lines; motion of a charged particle; Faraday’s law; Lenz’s law.
All diagrams are calculated illustrations created for this lab, not observational images. Field-line tracings indicate direction; their number and moving markers do not measure field strength or represent particles. No third-party artwork is used. Free access does not grant a separate open-source or media reuse license.
Accessibility & motion
Every experiment has labeled keyboard controls and numerical/text results equivalent to the diagram. Tab between controls; use arrow keys on sliders. Dragging is optional. Pause freezes automatic playback; Step advances it without animation. Still mode also honors your device’s reduced-motion setting.
If canvas is unavailable, all controls, equations, predictions, and calculated readings remain available. Full assistive-technology and real-device testing is still pending; this is not a claim of certified accessibility.
Privacy, project status & reporting an issue
The lab asks for no name, account, or personal information. Experiment settings live only in the current page and are cleared on reload. It uses no app analytics, cookies, or browser storage. Optional Google Fonts requests go to Google; system fonts are used if unavailable. The hosting platform may process access and operational data under its own policies.
Created and maintained by ACED for Learning Frontier. Interactive beta · Updated September 17, 2026. Report a problem through ACED’s contact options, including the experiment and what happened. Learner testing and broader device checks remain open.