LESSON DESCRIPTION:
In this lesson students get to explore how magnets, electromagnets, and amplified audio signals work together to produce amplified music. Students will connect speakers to D.C. current and to an amplified audio signal. The speakers will produce music right on the students’ desks!

TIME REQUIRED: One Hour

OBJECTIVES:
Students will learn about magnets and electromagnets. Students will learn how most speakers contain both an electromagnet and a regular magnet, and how the two attract and repel to allow a speaker to produce sound. Students will also learn how to complete a simple electric circuit.

FACILITIES REQUIREMENTS:
Indoors preferable, but outdoors okay. Requires table space for all participants and access to electricity. In order to set up this experiment in a classroom, the students’ desks may require some rearranging. Please advise neighboring classrooms that your class will be doing a “noisy” experiment. This experiment is difficult to move from classroom to classroom without a great deal of effort.

SAFETY:
Students are cautioned not to play with electrical outlets or anything involving household levels of electrical current.

CALIFORNIA SCIENCE STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

Kindergarden: 1st Grade: 2nd Grade: 3rd Grade: 4rth Grade: 5th Grade:   6th Grade: