Charging Ahead: An Introduction to Electromagnetism is a set of hands-on activities designed to help teachers introduce middle and high school students to electromagnetism, one of the most fascinating and life changing phenomenon humankind has witnessed. In 1820, Hans Oersted, a Danish physicist and school teacher, discovered that an electrical current produces magnetism. This set the stage for the development of the electrical motor and generating electricity from motion and magnets.

Charging Ahead uses readily available materials to introduce students to electromagnetism, to the factors that determine the strength of electrical coils, to the application of electromagnetism in the construction of an electrical motor, and to the production of electricity through the construction of a generator. Throughout the book, students are introduced to historical perspectives and to technological applications (circuit breakers, mag-lev trains, superconducting generators, etc.) of electromagnetism.