Investigation of the Flux Density of a Solenoid Using the Magnetometer of Smartphones

• Published in: The Physics teacher Vol. 60; no. 1; pp. 70 - 71
• Main Authors: Kaps, A, Stallmach, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Association of Physics Teachers 01-01-2022
• Subjects: College Science; Handheld Devices; Magnets; Measurement; Physics; Science Instruction; Secondary School Science; Telecommunications
• ISSN: 0031-921X
• DOI: 10.1119/10.0009116

In physics lessons at secondary school and experimental physics courses at universities, the magnetic field inside a current-carrying solenoid is considered quantitatively. The corresponding equations and theories are supported by measuring the magnetic flux density inside the solenoid with a Hall probe. It has already been shown that smartphones with their internal magnetometer are suitable for quantitative investigations of magnetic fields. E.g., Silva proposed to wind a small coil on a pen and investigate the dependence of the stray field on the number of windings. Ogawara et al. placed a smartphone inside a current loop and studied the dependence of the flux density on current "I."