WEEK 4: Electromagnetic Fields, Concept Maps, Brain Dumps

TUESDAY 1/31

       On Tuesday of Week 4, we began class with a brain dump exercise, which was something similar to brainstorming but more unfiltered. It was a good exercise in visualizing the thoughts that raced through my mind and also helped me feel more peaceful. I definitely will incorporate brain dumps into my routine going forward; I think they are a great step towards beginning a creative process. We then got to see a dried kombucha SCOBY, which I was not expecting to have such a distinct musk; something similar to a human’s natural musk but more pungent. I liked that it was slightly translucent and was something that could be worked with in the context of light.

ferrofluid, dried kombucha scoby, Prof Vesna

          Class continued with Dr. Walter Gekelman giving us a lecture on magnetism, and explaining to us the basic principles behind the way the universe interacts with itself. We got to experiment with magnets and their repulsion, iron filings, and ferro fluid. An electric field is a field that surrounds a charged particle and exerts a force on other charged particles in its vicinity. Electric field lines are used to represent the strength and direction of the electric field at a given point. They are typically depicted as lines pointing in the direction that a positive test charge would move if placed in the field. The closer the lines are together, the stronger the electric field is at that point.

Dr. Walter Gekelman lecturing, iron filing field lines

          Iron filings are small iron particles that can be used to visualize the direction of an electric field. When the filings are sprinkled onto a piece of paper that is placed near a charged object, the filings will align themselves along the direction of the electric field lines, providing a visual representation of the field. I was very intrigued by the art that can be created with ferro fluid; the idea of manipulating a fluid with an external force that can be invisible and doesn't have to touch the fluid was something I’d love to explore. 

THURSDAY 2/2 

Concept map made in class

           Thursday’s class began with a concept map, where the entire class was invited to the whiteboard to make connections. This exercise demonstrated the interconnectivity of our course material, but also the interconnectivity of the world we live in. It was interesting to see what other people retained the most from lecture and compare that to what I had retained. The mind map exercise got us started thinking about our final projects, and we discussed potential grouped interests to form groups. I originally wanted to work with magnets, but I ended up gravitating more toward microscopes and the textures and imaging we can retain from them. 

          We then got to hear Santiago Torres, an astrophysicist, talk in depth about the ideas and perception he had of the chart we made. It was a unique perspective and in a room full of artists, it was refreshing to see the different ways he interpreted the connections. He explained the Northern Lights, plasma, and the green comet that had been predicted to pass by the day of class, as well as telling us about his background. The comet was not actually green, but because of the thermal imaging used to generate photos of it the hue that results after compiling all the data gives the photo a greenish color. I was drawn to the idea that we must build technology to help us see the beauty of space, but on the surface the comet would have barely been visible to the naked eye. He also showed us a star tracking app, that used AR to generate a view of the universe we never would get to see normally. I thought it was really beautiful that he only really saw the stars when he was in his 20s, fell in love with them, and decided to pursue astrophysics. Santiago had a wonderful energy and I want to explore working with more scientists like him.

WORKS CITED:

Hernandez, Joe. “What Causes the Northern Lights? Scientists Finally Know for Sure.” NPR, 10 June 2021, www.npr.org/2021/06/10/1004859458/what-causes-the-northern-lights-scientists-finally-know-for-sure.

@LiveScience. “You Have One Last Chance to View the Green Comet This Week, Thanks to a Close Flyby With Mars.” livescience.com, 9 Feb. 2023, www.livescience.com/you-have-one-last-chance-to-view-the-green-comet-this-week-thanks-to-a-close-flyby-with-mars.

akhtar, iyaz, and See full bio. “This Magnetic Liquid Creates Mesmerizing Art.” CNET, 28 Oct. 2021, www.cnet.com/science/mesmerizing-art-created-with-magnetic-liquid.

“How Electromagnets Work.” How Electromagnets Work | HowStuffWorks, 1 Apr. 2000, science.howstuffworks.com/electromagnet.htm.

“Earth’s Magnetic Field.” Earth’s Magnetic Field, 24 Feb. 2010, web.ua.es/docivis/magnet/earths_magnetic_field2.html.