Ask testable questions about magnetic force

Which observations suggest factors that affect a magnetic force?

Submit: An evidence record, explanation and revision.

Related lesson: Forces and Newton's Laws

This is a teacher-led extension beyond the short lesson. The task supplies a performance opportunity; completion alone does not certify mastery, full NGSS coverage or state alignment.

Build the idea

A force investigation begins with a question that identifies what will change and what response will be measured. Magnetic interactions can act without contact. Comparing trials with several changed factors cannot isolate a cause.

Evidence and model inputs

Invented electromagnet lifting trials using the same core: 10 turns, 1 cm gap, 2 clips; 20 turns, 1 cm, 4 clips; 20 turns, 2 cm, 1 clip. Clip count is a rough force indicator, not a force in newtons. Current and clip type were intended to stay fixed but were not independently measured.

Keep actual observations, published findings and invented model cases labeled separately. If a source or required equipment is unavailable, pause that part with a teacher; do not invent results.

Materials and preparation

Paper, graph paper or spreadsheet, and the linked readings.

Grade-level scope

No student mains electricity or high-current coils. This task develops questions from data; any apparatus follow-up is teacher-operated.

Do the work

1. Make a table identifying changed, measured and intended controlled variables.
2. Write one question about coil turns and one about separation distance.
3. Predict a pattern for each and identify which pair of records supports it.
4. Specify repeated trials and a better force measurement for a teacher-operated follow-up.
5. Explain how an unmeasured change in current could affect the conclusion.

Learner worksheet

Write on paper or type here and print. Entries stay in this page’s memory and are lost when you leave or reload; they are not saved or submitted.

Check your reasoning

1. Which pair isolates coil turns most closely?
2. Are clip counts measured newtons?
3. What makes a question testable?
4. Do three invented trials establish a universal law?

Teacher review guide

Review the actual deliverable and discuss the reasoning. For each criterion, use 0 when evidence is absent or fundamentally incorrect, 1 when partly supported with a material error or omission, and 2 when accurate, supported and complete for the stated task. Maximum 8 points is a task score, not a proficiency certification. Give feedback and allow revision.

1. Asks measurable questions about force strength.
2. Identifies matched comparisons and controls.
3. Uses the record to motivate predictions.
4. Recognizes proxy measurements and confounding.

Sources and standard reference

• Official NGSS MS-PS2-3 performance expectation — inspect the practice, core idea, crosscutting concept and assessment boundary.

Instructional text and hypothetical cases are original. Linked source readings supply published evidence where specified. Teachers should judge fit with their course and state requirements.