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Chapter 19. Hands-on Experiment #3: Create an electromagnet

Click here for video of experiment.

Time: 15-20 Minutes

Materials:

  1. Small iron nail
  2. Insulating wire with insulation stripped from the ends
  3. Battery
  4. Paper Clips or Magnetic Objects

Instructions Step by Step: 

  1. Wrap the wire around the nail in one direction, make sure the wire is tightly coiled. 
    • If you coil the wire in different directions, the electromagnetic force will cancel out, and there will be little to no force of the magnet. 
  1. Attach one end of the insulated wire to the positive terminal of the battery and the other to the negative terminal of the battery. 
  2. Check your circuit: One end of the insulating wire is on the positive terminal. The insulating wire is wrapped around the nail tightly with some of the exposed metal touching each end of the nail. The other is on the negative terminal. with the excess attached to the battery.
  3. Spread paper clips on the table.
  4. Touch your nail to the paper clips. While electricity flows through your nail, it will act like a magnet. The battery will attract the paper clips to the nail. 
  5. When the electricity stops flowing through the nail, then the nail will stop acting as a magnet.

When electricity passes through the coiled wire, a magnetic field is created, and you can pick up other magnetic objects, such as paper clips! Some important things to keep in mind: the more coils your wire has, the better your magnet will work! Because more current is being generated, the more electricity is being passed, and a stronger force will be present! Be careful holding the battery, as it might get hot, as well as the insulating wire.

Questions to Ask:

1. Does the number of times you wrap the wire around the nail affect the electromagnetism strength?

2. Does the thickness or length of the nail affect the strength of the electromagnet?

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

If you want to share your work, you can upload a picture, video, or PDF file below!

Upload your picture here.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgj4av6FsaQ