help with science project

[DAYTONA TOM]

hello, my 10 year old son is doing a science project on metal detectors. I was wondering if anyone could help. his topic is "what items do metal detectors find and what is the technology used". This is toms wife by the way. lol My son is 10 and in 5th grade. Any help would be greatly appriated. Thanks

 

[Montana Jim]

Maybe some kind of "visible" coin garden... different metals at different depths...

Then he can pass the detector of the objects showing how the machine works while detecting different things at different depths... maybe show the "discriminator" working...

 

[SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS]

This may help.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_detector


have a good un.....
SHERMANVILLE

 

[Tin Nugget]

Some usefull info
http://www.mytreasurespot.com/forums/list.php?5
http://www.dankowskidetectors.com/behindthemask.htm

 

[Tricia]

Maybe some kind of "visible" coin garden... different metals at different depths...

Then he can pass the detector of the objects showing how the machine works while detecting different things at different depths... maybe show the "discriminator" working...

Good idea. "Bury" some plastic, wood, or other non metalic object to show how only metal is detected.

 

[CWnut]

for the demonstration part he could glue some metal and non-metal items on the ends of paint sticks to show the response of the detector to each item.

 

[Ricardo_NY1]

Just some ideas............he can demonstrate the different sounds/tones a detector makes when it locates different metals. The idea is that detectors react based on a metal objects conductivity/ferrous content. Knowing that, you can already group objects that have similar compositions..........for example, a quarter, an aluminum can, a piece of copper for high conductors. Or a nickel, pulltab and a piece of gold for low. You can also demonstrate the depth capability of a detector based on the mass/size of an object. A good demo would be perhaps to demonstrate the difficulty a detector would have in indicating the presence of a very tiny object, perhaps a BB? at 4-5? (Bsed on what machine will be used) inches in an air-test while being able to easily pick up a piece of pipe/crushed can/half dolar at a greater distance.There's many tests that can be performed to demonstrate detector technology.

Another one could be as mentioned, the discrimination capabilities of a detector. One way to demonstrate that would be to slowly move a discriminated target closer and closer to the subject target until no signal is produced, and noticing perhaps at what points the signal starts to become chopped up, etc.

You may even want to bring in an interference device to see what effect they have when close to the detector.

With that said, if you're going to be doing indoor demos, keep the sensitivity way down!