Orange High School
Orange County Schools
The Interaction of Electric and Magnetic Fields
Nina Morley Daye has developed a series of lessons that examine the use of interacting electric and magnetic fields to generate an electric current. This is the basic science behind the functioning of generators, motors, radios, televisions and other devices used in our daily lives. These energy sources differ in how they provide energy to the blades of a turbine in order to move coils of wire relative to a magnetic field. Simulations and interactive media are useful in studying this subject, as magnetic and electrical fields cannot be directly viewed; only the effect of field interactions can be observed. The application of the photoelectric effect to the function of photovoltaic cells, solar arrays and other solar devices is noted in these lessons as well.