Students learn how simple scientific principles can be used in sophisticated applications,
how electric circuits can be switched on and off, and the factors that can affect the strength of an electromagnet.
A few groups pursued the study of possible mechanisms, for example elaborating theories of
how changes in the atmosphere's
electric circuit, which varies with the flux of cosmic rays, affected precipitation in the Arctic, Ram et al. (2009), or devising experiments that they hoped would show a direct and strong effect of cosmic rays on clouds, e.g., Svensmark et al. (2007)(which brought a strong press reaction but proved little).