RUNNING HEADER: MAGNETIC ANIMAL REPELLENT LAB NOTEBOOK 1

Magnetic Animal Repellent Lab Notebook VI

Sidney Boakye, Michelle Miller, and Joaquin Valda
Senior Physics Mentorship
2/22/18
Dr. Psaker Lab
Governor’s School @ Innovation Park

Objectives:
Making another device

Discovery of optimal camera location

Data collection and the composition of that data into analyzable data
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Materials and Methods

We used Velcro to hang our device on a tree branch next to the bird feeder. While we

wait for the results we decided to work on a stronger electromagnet in the event that our current

device is not strong enough. We used a 6V 4.5A led acid battery with our second steel spike with

264 turns of wire. We also tested with three types of resistors: 10k, 3.3k, and 1k ohms to see

which one will prevent the wire from heating up and give us a stronger magnetic field. After

different trials we found that the 1k resistor was enough to keep the wire at a safe temperature.
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Data and Results

Our device was placed on the testing site and so far it seems like the birds stayed away

from it. We will need to see if it was due to the magnetic field or just the presence of the device.

When we tested with the 4.5 amp battery the wire would get too hot really quickly so we found

out that a 1k resistor was enough to stabilize the temperature increase.

Figure 1. Device placed next to bird feeder.

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Future Goals

We have entered the field of battle, M.A.R.T has finally begun official testing field

testing! We have done plenty of isolated electromagnet test but this will be the first time we see

our apparatus in action. Soon we will not only have data but also live footage of birds and their

interaction with our device. This does not mean we will just be sitting in class for the next two

weeks. We will be doing test on another model of our electromagnet, getting results for test we

have conducted with our electromagnet which is in the field. We will be periodically compiling

our data that we collect over a set number of days. We shall be reviewing and formatting our

footage so that we can present actual film during our finally presentation. After this two week

period our testing should be complete and we will move on to our post-experimentation

schedule. This will include data compilation/evaluation, video editing/analysis, and final

presentation creation.
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References

Loss, S. R., Will, T., & Marra, P. P. (2014). Refining Estimates of Bird Collision and
Electrocution Mortality at Power Lines in the United States. Retrieved October 24, 2017,
from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4081594/

Staff Feb. 7, 2005 From the print edition Print Share Subscribe Donate Now. (2005, February
07). High Country News. Retrieved October 24, 2017, from
http://www.hcn.org/issues/291/15268

Patent US5884426 - Magnetic device for repelling birds. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2017,
from https://www.google.com/patents/US5884426ht