Log In Menu 

 Science Courses / Course / Chapter

How Does an Electromagnet

Work?
Contributors: Rochelle Enrera, David Wood,
Christianlly Cena
Learn what an electromagnet is and how an
electromagnet works. See where you might !nd an
electromagnet as well as the parts and di"erent
uses of an electromagnet. Updated: 11/14/2021

Table of Contents

 What is an Electromagnet?

 History of Electromagnets and

Electromagnetism

 How Does an Electromagnet Work?

 Uses of an Electromagnet
Show more

Create an account

What is an Electromagnet?
Magnets are found almost everywhere. They
are present in simple refrigerator trinkets and
in complex devices, such as an MRI machine.
A magnet is any material or object that
produces a magnetic !eld and contains north
and south magnetic poles. Its magnetic !eld is
due to the spinning of electrons found in each
atom comprising the object. The charged
particle's movement creates an electric
current and enables each atom to act like a
tiny magnet.

Then, why aren't all materials magnetic? In

most materials, there are equal numbers of
electrons that spin in opposite directions;
thus, the magnetism produced by each one is
canceled. However, substances such as iron,
nickel, and cobalt have electrons that mostly
spin in the same direction, creating a stronger
magnet in the process. These materials, called
collectively ferromagnetic materials, are highly
responsive and are easily a"ected by nearby
magnetic !elds, making them the best
materials for magnets.

Permanent magnets retain their magnetic

strength for a relatively long time and do not
need any external magnetic !eld source or
electric current to maintain their magnetism.
But not all magnets are permanent. Some
only retain their magnetism for a short time,
such as a paperclip attracted to another
magnet. It can attract other metal paper clips
and thumbtacks while attached to the
magnet, but once the magnet is removed, the
paper clip loses its magnetism.

Another example of a temporary magnet is an

electromagnet. What is an electromagnet? An
electromagnet consists of coils of wire
wrapped around an iron core or other
ferromagnetic material and a power source. It
becomes a magnet only when current #ows
through the coils. Its magnetic !eld is
strengthened more by the piece of an iron
core. As described in the electromagnet
de!nition, the combination of electricity and
magnetism leads to its name "electromagnet."

Unlike permanent magnets, an

electromagnet's magnetic !eld strength can
be varied depending on the desired use. This
is done by increasing or decreasing the size of
the ferromagnetic core and the number of
loops/coils of wire. Since it needs an electric
current to function, it can also be turned on or
o" as needed. Its versatility makes it highly
useful in medicine, industry, and
manufacturing purposes.

Practice Quiz Course Info 141K views

History of Electromagnets and

Electromagnetism
In the eighteenth century, scientists were
curious to !nd a connection between
electricity and magnetism. It was Hans
Christian Oersted, a Danish physicist and
chemist, who !rst demonstrated the
relationship between the two. His experiment
showed that when a compass is placed near a
current-carrying wire, the needle's compass is
de#ected. But when the current was turned
o", the needle compass remained stationary.
This led him to conclude that a current-
carrying wire produces a magnetic !eld.

An apparatus used to perform Oersted

In 1825, an English scientist named William

Sturgeon developed the !rst working
electromagnet. He loosely wrapped a
horseshoe-shaped iron with an uninsulated
wire. His device is only seven ounces (0.20 kg)
connected to a single cell, but it could support
nine pounds (3.20 kg)of iron.

An illustration of the electromagnet

designed by William Sturgeon.

Joseph Henry, an American scientist,

improved Sturgeon's electromagnet by
wrapping an iron core with several layers of
insulated wire. In 1831, he produced a 21-
pound electromagnet that can lift 750 pounds
of weight. By 1833, he was able to produce an
electromagnet that can support over 3300
pounds. He continued to create more
powerful electromagnets and investigated
other applications of electromagnetism.

A powerful electromagnet built by Joseph

Henry.

How Does an Electromagnet Work?

How does an electromagnet work? Consider
!rst the magnetic !eld in a straight wire. It
was established from Oersted's experiment
that a current-carrying wire produces a
magnetic !eld. In fact, its magnetic !eld lines
are circular with the wire at its center. Now,
what happens when a straight wire is turned
into a circular loop? Since there is current,
there are also magnetic !elds produced.
These magnetic !eld lines seem to enter on
one side of the loop and exit on the other
side, creating a stronger magnetic !eld at the
loop's center.

Magnetic !eld lines of a loop of wire.

Parts of an Electromagnet
An electromagnet requires a series of coils or
loops of wire. This multiple loop of wire is
called a solenoid. Each loop creates its own
magnetic !eld, as long as there is current in
the wire. The more loops or turns, the greater
the magnetic !eld produced by the solenoid.
Notice that the magnetic !eld produced by a
solenoid is similar to the magnetic !eld
produced by a bar magnet, with their
corresponding north and south magnetic
poles.

Similar magnetic !eld lines of a bar

magnet and a solenoid.

A piece of iron or other ferromagnetic

materials can be inserted into the solenoid to
further strengthen its magnetic !eld strength.
Once an electric circuit is supplied in the loops
of wire, an electromagnet is formed. The parts
of an electromagnet are shown in the !gure
below. Its total magnetic !eld is the combined
magnetic !eld produced by each loop and the
magnetic !eld from the piece of an iron core.

A simple electromagnet contains loops of

wire, a ferromagnetic material, and a
voltage source.

An old laboratory electromagnet used for

nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
experiments.

Magnetic Circuit
A magnetic circuit is a closed path by which the
magnetic !eld lines are con!ned. It is applied
in devices that use electromagnets and
permanent magnets, such as motors,
generators, and transformers. A simple
magnetic circuit consists of a magnetic core
and loops of wire. As discussed previously,
the current passing through the coil
generates a magnetic !eld.

The amount of magnetic #ux in a magnetic

circuit is proportional to the number of loops
and the amount of current #owing through it.
The product between the two is called the
magnetomotive force, Fm (mmf), as expressed
by Fm = NI , where N is the number of loops
and I is the current present in the loops of
wire. Its SI unit is the ampere (A), but the unit
ampere-turn (At) is more commonly used to
lessen confusion.

Di"erent materials used as cores for an

electromagnet have varying degrees of
magnetic !eld intensity, a property called
magnetic permeability, µ. It describes the
susceptibility of a material to the in#uence of
a magnetic !eld. Vacuum or free space has a
permeability of µ0 = 4π × 10−7 A2 . Materials
N

have their own absolute permeabilities as

well, but it is more convenient to use their
µ
relative permeabilities given by µr = µ0 ,
where µr is the relative permeability, µ is the
permeability of the material, and µ0 is the
permeability of free space. Relative
permeability is unitless and easier to deal with
in calculations.

The relative permeability of free space is 1.

Those materials with permeability slightly less
than 1 are called diamagnetic. These materials,
such as silver and gold, slightly repel magnetic
!elds and do not retain magnetic properties.
Materials with relative permeabilities slightly
greater than 1 are called paramagnetic. These
materials are slightly attracted to magnetic
!elds, but still do not retain magnetic
properties. Examples of paramagnetic
materials are magnesium and aluminum.
Ferromagnetic materials (e.g., iron, nickel, and
steel)are those that have relative
permeabilities greater than 100. They show
strong attraction to magnetic !elds and keep
their magnetic properties for a long time. To
strengthen the magnetic !eld produced by
electromagnets, ferromagnetic materials are
used as cores.

Large Electromagnets
There are three factors that need to be
considered when creating electromagnets,
especially to produce large electromagnets:


To unlock this lesson you must be a
Study.com Member.
Create your account

Video Transcript

What Is an Electromagnet?
Magnets are cool. There are all kinds of fun
experiments you can do with them, but their
usefulness can be rather...limited. A magnet is
always a magnet. It always attracts.
Sometimes you want that, such as with a
fridge magnet, but not always. By using
electromagnets, that all changes, and the
applications become endless.

An electromagnet is a magnet that is created

using an electric current, created by
electricity. Since electricity can be turned on
and o", so can an electromagnet. It can even
be weakened or strengthened by decreasing
or increasing the current.

Why Do They Work? How Are They

Made?
There are four fundamental forces in physics,
and one of them is called electromagnetism.
But when we study physics, we usually learn
about electric forces and magnetic forces
separately. Why is that?

Well, the two forces seem very di"erent from

each other. The equations that represent
them are totally di"erent. But it turns out that
they're part of the same electromagnetic
force.

When charges, like electrons or protons, are

stationary, they produce electric forces, or
an attractive or repulsive force between
charged particles. But when electrons or
protons are moving, they produce magnetic
forces, or an attractive or repulsive force
between charged particles due to their
motion. Inside a magnet are lots of tiny
moving charges, which gives the magnet its
magnetic !eld.

This knowledge of how magnetism works is

important because it gives us the ability to
create electromagnets. Electricity is just a #ow
of electrons around a circuit, so an electrical
wire will produce a magnetic !eld just like a
magnet.

Electromagnets are usually made out of a coil

of wire -- a wire curled into a series of turns.
This strengthens and concentrates the
magnetic !eld more than a single stretch of
wire. The wire turns are often coiled around a
regular magnet, made of a ferromagnetic
material like iron. This makes the
electromagnet more powerful.

Uses of Electromagnets
Electromagnets are used in all kinds of electric
devices, including hard disk drives, speakers,
motors, and generators, as well as in scrap
yards to pick up heavy scrap metal. They're
even used in MRI machines, which utilize
magnets to take photos of your insides!


To unlock this lesson you must be a
Study.com Member.
Create your account

Activities FAQs

Electromagnet: A
Crossword Puzzle Activity
In this activity, you will check your
knowledge regarding the de!nition, uses,
and parts of an electromagnet.

Directions

Complete the crossword by !lling in a

word that !ts each of the given clues. For
this activity, you'll need a printer to
reproduce the following page. With a
pencil and an eraser, neatly write your
answers in the boxes provided.

Across

3. A __________ of wire can be used to

create electromagnets.

6. Any device that operates on __________

owes its existence to electromagnets.

7. __________ force is the attraction or

repulsion that results from the motion of
electrically-charged particles.

9. __________ are positively-charged

subatomic particles that are attracted to
negatively-charged particles.

10. Some magnets, such as

electromagnets, __________ metals only
when electrically activated.

Down

1. The repulsive or attractive interaction

between any two charged bodies is
known as __________ force.

2. Electromagnetism is one of the four

fundamental forces in __________ that
combines the aspects of electricity and
magnetism.

4. Machines or devices that convert any

form of energy into motion are called
__________.

5. A __________ captures the power of

motion and turns it into electrical energy
by using magnets.

8. __________ is a common, ferromagnetic,

and inexpensive metal that is attracted to
magnets.

Answer Key

There are so many options on Study.com!

I can research almost any subject, delve
into it more deeply if I wish, and begin
studying at a deeper level right away.

Catherine S.
Student
Je"erson, Missouri
Create an account

 General
Review
Studies Science: Help &

43 chapters | 437 lessons | 1 #ashcard set

What is a Magnet? - De!nition & 6:55

Examples

What is an Electromagnet? - De!nition,  4:14

Uses & Parts

Next Lesson 8:58

What is Electromagnetic
Radiation? - Wavelength,
Spectrum & Energy

What is Solenoid? - De!nition, Uses & 3:55

Examples

Go to Foundations of Magnetism

Ch 19. Fundamentals of Mechanics 

Ch 20. Lab Equipment for Scienti!c... 

Ch 21. Measurement & the Metric System... 

Ch 22. Nuclear Energy Fundamentals 

Ch 23. Planning a Scienti!c Investigation Or... 

Ch 24. Plant & Soil Ecology 

Ch 25. Populations & Relationships in... 

Electromagnets Applications & Parts | How

Does an Electromagnet Work?
Related Study Materials

Related Lessons 

Electromagnets Lesson
for Kids: De!nition, Facts
& Uses

Technological
Applications of
Electromagnetism

Hans Christian Oersted's

Experiment & Discovery

Magnets Lesson for Kids:

Uses & Types


Related Courses 
Related Topics 