5H15.40 • Fields and Currents: Solenoid and Iron Filings

Location: Cabinet 3

Photo of the Demonstration at the University of Texas at Austin.

Instructions / Notes:

• A solenoid is wound through a piece of plexiglass for use with iron filings on an overhead projector.
• Iron filings are sprinkled on the plexiglass surface and the random orientation should be noted.
• The power supply provides only an impulse current to the solenoid.
• One or two pulses of current will reorient the iron filings.
• The filings will reorient into lines where the magnetic field lines are strongest.

Photo Shows Demo On the Document Camera.

Last updated on June 8, 2026