AboutDan Fink Expertise Though my experience is mostly in the fields of electricity, magnetism, and physics, I have a broad science background. My career is in the field of alternative power sources -- solar, wind, water and battery power. But any questions about electricity, magnetism, energy conservation, power generation, electric motors, and even general physics are very welcome--especially from kids. They ask the best questions of all! I pride myself in answering science questions accurately, with ideas for SAFE, easy experiments that kids can perform by themselves--and that let them prove the answers to their own satisfaction. I think science should be fun, and available to everyone, regardless of age.
Experience I have volunteered in our local public schools for 5 years. I currently make presentations at our schools about electricity and magnetism, with a focus on solar, wind, water and other alternative power sources. I try to demonstrate at our schools how easy it is to make electricity, with simple devices using spinning magnets and coils of wire--powered by wind, water, bicycles, gerbils...etc. And of course solar panels! I am the webmaster of Otherpower.com, an alternative energy website. I have lived 10 miles from the nearest power pole for 11 years--I make all my own electricity from scratch with sun, wind and water.
Question hi im doing my homework and i need help. My question is "How can magnets help archeologists?" please could you give me some info. thanks x
Answer Hi Kristie -- it's really very interesting. Of course in archeology studying more modern events, where people had iron tools, magnets can be used to find iron artifacts. And of course metal detectors use magnetic fields to find non-iron, metallic artifacts.
But magnetism is useful in researching far into the past, too -- the earth's magnetic field changes and reverses periodically. In the hearth from a fire, or in charcoal from the fire, magnetic particles align themselves with the earth's magnetic field. If the archeologist records the exact orientation vs. north of the artifact and casts it in plaster to preserve this, dates can be estimated very accurately by analyzing the magnetic orientation. This is called archeomagnetic dating.
