Mississippi Science PHY.5.5
The Standard
- PHY.5
- Students will investigate the key components of electricity and magnetism.
Design and conduct an investigation of magnetic poles, magnetic flux and magnetic field using online simulations, probe systems, and/or laboratory experiences.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Electricity and Magnetism
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students plan a fair test with magnets and a compass or field meter. They record how the magnetic field changes near each pole, then test how loop angle or magnet distance affects magnetic flux.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students identify which poles attract or repel and use compass readings to sketch field direction. They keep other factors fixed, use results to support a claim, and predict that flux falls when a loop turns edge-on to the field.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think opposite poles repel or that a compass always points toward a magnet. They may treat drawn field lines as physical strands. Some expect the most flux when a loop is edge-on to the field.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Draw the compass direction just beyond a bar magnet's north pole. In a simulation with a flux meter, describe how you would test loop angle, what you would keep fixed, and the expected result.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs two bar magnets, a compass, and grid paper to test pole interactions and map compass directions at measured distances.
Ask students to sketch a loop facing a bar magnet, then explain what happens to flux when they turn it sideways.
Use a simulation with a flux meter; teams predict readings before changing loop angle or magnet distance, one variable at a time.
Turn a hand-crank generator slowly and quickly; measure voltage with a meter and relate the readings to how fast flux changes through its coil.
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