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    Electromagnet Activity

    Uploaded by

    Sab Dico
    The document describes how to build an electromagnet using a battery, copper wire, and an iron nail. Wrapping the copper wire around the nail 20 times creates an electromagnet that can pick up paperclips and metal bars. Wrapping it 40 times creates a stronger electromagnet that can pick up more items. The electromagnet only works when the battery is connected, as it uses the current from the battery to generate a magnetic field through the coil.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Electromagnet Activity

    Uploaded by

    Sab Dico
    159 views3 pages
    The document describes how to build an electromagnet using a battery, copper wire, and an iron nail. Wrapping the copper wire around the nail 20 times creates an electromagnet that can pick up paperclips and metal bars. Wrapping it 40 times creates a stronger electromagnet that can pick up more items. The electromagnet only works when the battery is connected, as it uses the current from the battery to generate a magnetic field through the coil.

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    The document describes how to build an electromagnet using a battery, copper wire, and an iron nail. Wrapping the copper wire around the nail 20 times creates an electromagnet that can pick up paperclips and metal bars. Wrapping it 40 times creates a stronger electromagnet that can pick up more items. The electromagnet only works when the battery is connected, as it uses the current from the battery to generate a magnetic field through the coil.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    159 views3 pages

    Electromagnet Activity

    Uploaded by

    Sab Dico
    The document describes how to build an electromagnet using a battery, copper wire, and an iron nail. Wrapping the copper wire around the nail 20 times creates an electromagnet that can pick up paperclips and metal bars. Wrapping it 40 times creates a stronger electromagnet that can pick up more items. The electromagnet only works when the battery is connected, as it uses the current from the battery to generate a magnetic field through the coil.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 3

    Build Your Own Electromagnet!

    In this worksheet, you will learn how to build your own


    electromagnet, as well as experiments to try, and how
    electromagnets work!

    Materials:
    - One AA battery
    - About 3-4 feet of thinly coated copper wire
    - A large iron nail, about 3-4 inches’ long
    - Electrical tape
    How does it work?
    - Some paper clips or other metal objects that are attracted
    to magnets like metal bars. When electricity passes through a wire, a very small magnetic
    field is generated. By looping the wire around a core, the lines
    -Scissor of the magnetic field are concentrated inside the coil, and this
    Directions: is an electromagnet. When the electrical current stops, the
    magnetic field disappears.
    1.) Leaving about 8-10 inches of loose wire, tightly wrap the
    wire around the nail 20 times, trying not to overlap any of the Did you know:
    loops. - The type of core used today (the nail) would be called a
    2.) Trim the wire if needed so that there is another 8-10 ferromagnetic core, because it is made of material that reacts
    inches of loose wire hanging from the other end of the nail. to magnets. Ferromagnetic cores make much more powerful
    electromagnets than cores that are not ferromagnetic.
    3.) Now carefully remove about an inch of the insulation from
    both ends of the wire and scrape both ends of the wire using - When you disconnect the electromagnet from the battery, it
    scissor. Tape one end of the wire to the top of the battery, will no longer be magnetic.
    and the other end to the bottom of the battery. Be careful, - If you were to wrap some of the wire in one direction, and
    because the wire can get hot once it is connected to the some of the wire in the opposite direction, the forces created
    battery! by the electricity would cancel each other out and reduce or
    4.) Now current is flowing from the battery through the wire, eliminate the power of your electromagnet.
    and has turned the nail into an electromagnet! Test your new - If you switch which end of the wire is connected to what end
    electromagnet by putting the point of the nail close to some of the battery, your electromagnet will reverse poles. What
    paperclips or some metal bars. used to be the north pole would become the south pole, and
    5.) Disconnect the wire and rewrap the nail with 40 loops. vice versa!
    Connect the wire and observe how many paper clips and metal - The coil of wire you used to make your electromagnet is
    bars you can pick up. called a “solenoid”. A solenoid that is bent so that the ends
    Note: The electromagnet can use up the power in the battery meet, forming a doughnut shape, is called a “toroid”.
    fairly quickly. When you are done, be sure to disconnect the
    wires from the battery to keep the wires from getting too hot!
    What uses electromagnets?
    Never put your electromagnet near a household outlet! Electromagnets aren’t just used for picking up scrap metal at
    the dump! All kinds of things in our daily lives use
    electromagnets. Anything with a motor, that produces sound,
    that uses magnetic recording (such as the hard drives in
    computers) all contain electromagnets! Our lives would
    certainly be very different without electromagnets.
    Name: Section: Date: Score:

    Activity No._

    Building an Electromagnet Worksheet


    I. Assessment:

    Write the number of paper clips and metal clips attracted to a 20 loops coil and 40 loops coil.

    Number of Coils Number of Paper Clips Number of Metal Bars

    20 loops
    40 loops

    1. Did more loops make the electromagnet stronger? Why?

    2. Does the thickness of the core (the nail) affect the strength of the electromagnet?

    3. Does the thickness of the wire affect the strength of the electromagnet?

    4. Describe what happens if you hold a nail or paper clip near the coil.

    5. Can your electromagnet pick up paper clips when the current is disconnected?

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