electromagnetic experiment with paper clips

How to Make an Electromagnet - Learn how to use electricity to create a magnet

Posted by Admin / in Energy & Electricity Experiments

A cool science experiment which teaches kids about a magnetic field is to make an electromagnet from scratch. Electromagnet principles and theory was developed by Andre Marie Ampere in 1821. D.F. Arago then invented the first working electromagnet. This invention helped lead Michael Faraday to later invent the electric motor.

Materials Needed

• Magnet wire (about 5-10 feet)
• Metal paper clips
• Battery (D cell or lantern battery) with battery holder or connection wires

EXPERIMENT STEPS

Step 1: First, an iron or steel nail is needed. Do not use a galvanized or aluminum nail or the required magnetic field is not created. Leaving approximately 6" of wire slack, start wrapping the magnet wire around the iron nail.

Step 2: Wrap the wire 25 times around the nail.

Step 3: Attach both ends of the loose wire to the battery. Connect one side to the positive (+) side and the other side to the negative (-) side. Do not leave the wire attached to both battery terminals too long or the battery power will be drained and the wire will get hot.

Step 4: Move the nail near the paper clips.

Step 5: Disconnect one side of the wire from the battery.

Step 6: Wrap the wire another 25 turns around the nail.

Science Learned

The electromagnet proves that a magnetic field and electricity are related. In fact, calculation of electromotive force is very similar to Ohm's law. Remember that Ohm's law is used to calculate the voltage drop across a circuit with a resistor, where v=iR (voltage=current x resistance). To calulcate the electromotive force in a magnetic circuit use the equation F=IN (Force=current x number of turns). The number of turns and the current in the battery both change the amount of magnetic force in an electromagnet.

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What you need:

• Insulated copper wire with ends stripped
• Large iron nail
• Small paper clips or staples
• Wrap the copper wire around the nail and touch the ends of the wire to the battery. Be careful to always wrap the wire in the same direction. Wrap it as tightly as you can. Try to pick up the paper clips. Does it work? Be careful, the battery may get hot!
• Try the experiment again with more wire wrapped around the nail. Can you pick up more paper clips? What happens if you use a bigger nail? A nail made of a different material?

What’s going on?

An electromagnet is a magnet that can be turned on and off. In this experiment, the battery is a source of electrons. When you connect the wire to the battery, the electrons flow through the wire. If there is not a complete circuit, the electrons will not flow. Electrons behave like little magnets and when they flow through a wire, they create a magnetic field, which turns the nail into a magnet that can pick up paper clips and staples!

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Make an electromagnet, you will need.

A large iron nail (about 3 inches) About 3 feet of THIN COATED copper wire A fresh D size battery Some paper clips or other small magnetic objects

1. Leave about 8 inches of wire loose at one end and wrap most of the rest of the wire around the nail. Try not to overlap the wires. 2. Cut the wire (if needed) so that there is about another 8 inches loose at the other end too.

3. Now remove about an inch of the plastic coating from both ends of the wire and attach the one wire to one end of a battery and the other wire to the other end of the battery. See picture below. (It is best to tape the wires to the battery – be careful though, the wire could get very hot!) 4. Now you have an ELECTROMAGNET! Put the point of the nail near a few paper clips and it should pick them up! NOTE: Making an electromagnet uses up the battery somewhat quickly which is why the battery may get warm, so disconnect the wires when you are done exploring.

How does it work?

Most magnets, like the ones on many refrigerators, cannot be turned off, they are called permanent magnets. Magnets like the one you made that can be turned on and off, are called ELECTROMAGNETS. They run on electricity and are only magnetic when the electricity is flowing. The electricity flowing through the wire arranges the molecules in the nail so that they are attracted to certain metals. NEVER get the wires of the electromagnet near at household outlet! Be safe – have fun!

MAKE IT AN EXPERIMENT

The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

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

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

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

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Simple Electromagnet

Introduction: Simple Electromagnet

As part of our Energy Unit in fourth grade we build these electromagnets.

We have at least two companies in town that use electromagnets. MetalX sent us some pictures that show the electromagnet in action!

Below are standards met by this activity.

-Heat, electrical energy, light, sound and magnetic energy are forms of energy. (3)

-Energy can be transformed from one form to another or can be transferred from one location to another. (4)

-Electricity and magnetism are closely related. (4)

-Electricity is related to magnetism. In some circumstances, magnetic fields can produce electrical currents in conductors. Electric currents produce magnetic fields. Electromagnets are temporary magnets that lose their magnetism when the electric current is turned off. Building an electromagnet to investigate magnetic properties and fields can demonstrate this concept. (8)

Step 1: Materials

For this activity each student or group of students will need

-Magnet wire, or other thin wire

-AA Battery

-Electrical Tape (not shown)

-Metal Paper Clips or Pins

Step 2: Cut and Sand

Cut a foot long piece of wire and sand 1/2 inch of the insulation off the ends.

Step 3: Wrap

Wrap the wire tightly around the nail.

Step 4: OUCH!

Do NOT hold the wire to the battery with just your finger tips. Although burning your finger tips is a memorable experience that demonstrates transfer of energy (chemical, to electrical, to thermal), it hurts! Don't do it.

Use a bit of electrical tape to cover the connection between the wire and the battery. Still be careful, without a load, the wire can still get hot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_load

"An electrical load is an electrical component or portion of a circuit that consumes (active) electric power.[1][2] This is opposed to a power source, such as a battery or generator, which produces power.[2] In electric power circuits examples of loads are appliances and lights. The term may also refer to the power consumed by a circuit."

Step 5: Pick Up and Drop

Test your electromagnet. Connect the end of the wire, one to the positive and one to the negative ends of the battery.

Now move the coiled wire and nail over the paperclips / pins. The nail becomes a magnet! You have just made an electromagnet just like the one used at MetalX. To drop the paper clips / pins, simply let go of one side of the wire/battery connection.

See how many paper clips you can pick up. Challenge a friend.

We have students work in pairs and have a little competition to see which group can pick up the most paperclips. We also have the students move the paperclips from one side of the room to the other. Using the electromagnet the students have to pick up and drop the paperclips. No hands can touch the clips.

Step 6: Video

Here is a video we made of another way to make the electromagnet.

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Science project, electromagnetic induction experiment.

Electricity is carried by current , or the flow of electrons. One useful characteristic of current is that it creates its own magnetic field. This is useful in many types of motors and appliances. Conduct this simple electromagnetic induction experiment to witness this phenomenon for yourself!

Observe how current can create a magnetic field.

What will happen when the battery is connected and the switch is turned on? Will the battery voltage make a difference in the magnetic field?

• Thin copper wire
• Long metal nail
• 12-V lantern battery
• 9-V battery
• Wire cutters
• Toggle switch
• Electrical tape
• Paper clips
• Cut a long length of wire and attached one end to the positive output of the toggle switch.
• Twist the wire at least 50 times around the nail to create a solenoid.
• Once the wire has covered the nail, tape the wire to the negative terminal of the 12V battery.
• Cut a short piece of wire to connect the positive terminal of the battery to the negative terminal of the toggle switch.

• Turn on the switch.
• Bring paper clips close to the nail. What happens? How many paper clips can you pick up?
• Repeat the experiment with the 9V battery.
• Repeat the experiment with the 9V and 12V batteries arranged in series (if you don’t know how to arrange batteries in series, check out this project that explains how).

The current running through the circuit will cause the nail to be magnetic and attract paper clips. The 12V battery will create a stronger magnet than the 9V battery. The series circuit will create a stronger magnet than the individual batteries did.

Electric currents always produce their own magnetic fields. This phenomenon is represented by the right-hand-rule:

If you make the “Thumbs-Up” sign with your hand like this:

The current will flow in the direction the thumb is pointing, and the magnetic field direction will be described by the direction of the fingers. This means when you change the direction of the current, you also change the direction of the magnetic field. Current flows (which means electrons flow) from the negative end of a battery through the wire to the positive end of the battery, which can help you determine what the direction of the magnetic field will be.

When the toggle switch is turned on, the current will flow from the negative terminal of the battery around the circuit to the positive terminal. When the current passes through the nail it induces , or creates, a magnetic field.  The 12V battery produces a larger voltage ; therefore, produces a higher current for a circuit of the same resistance. Larger currents will induce larger (and stronger!) magnetic fields, so the nail will attract more paperclips when using a larger voltage.

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FREE K-12 standards-aligned STEM

curriculum for educators everywhere!

Find more at TeachEngineering.org .

• TeachEngineering
• Creating an Electromagnet

Hands-on Activity Creating an Electromagnet

Grade Level: 4 (3-5)

Time Required: 45 minutes

Expendable Cost/Group: US $2.00

Group Size: 2

Activity Dependency: None

Associated Informal Learning Activity: Creating an Electromagnet!

Subject Areas: Physical Science, Physics

NGSS Performance Expectations:

Activities Associated with this Lesson Units serve as guides to a particular content or subject area. Nested under units are lessons (in purple) and hands-on activities (in blue). Note that not all lessons and activities will exist under a unit, and instead may exist as "standalone" curriculum.

• Get Your Motor Running

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Engineering connection, learning objectives, materials list, worksheets and attachments, more curriculum like this, pre-req knowledge, introduction/motivation, vocabulary/definitions, troubleshooting tips, activity extensions, activity scaling, user comments & tips.

Engineers design electromagnets, which are a basic part of motors. Electromagnetic motors are a big part of everyday life, as well as industries and factories. We may not even realize that we interact with electromagnets on a daily basis as we use a wide variety of motors to make our lives easier. Common devices that use electromagnetic motors are: refrigerators, clothes dryers, washing machines, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, sewing machines, garbage disposals, doorbells, computers, computer printers, clocks, fans, car starters, windshield wiper motors, electric toothbrushes, electric razors, can openers, speakers, music or tape players, etc.

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Relate that electric current creates a magnetic field.
• Describe how an electromagnet is made.
• Investigate ways to change the strength of an electromagnet.
• List several items that engineers have designed using electromagnets.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science.

Common Core State Standards - Math

View aligned curriculum

Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback!

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State standards, colorado - math, colorado - science.

Each group needs:

• nail, 3-inch (7.6 cm) or longer (made of zinc, iron or steel, but not aluminum)
• 2 feet (.6 m) insulated copper wire (at least AWG 22 or higher)
• D-cell battery
• several metal paperclips, tacks or pins
• wide rubber band
• Building an Electromagnet Worksheet

For each electromagnetic field station:

• cardboard toilet paper tube
• insulated copper wire (at least AWG 22 or higher), several feet (1 m)
• cardboard (~ 5 x 5 inches or 13 x 13 cm)
• clothespins or clamps (optional)
• masking tape
• rubber band
• 2-3 D-cell batteries
• 9-V (volt) battery
• several metal paperclips, tacks and/or pins
• extra batteries, if available: 6-V, 12-V, lantern batteries
• (optional) electrical tape
• 2 small orienteering compasses

For the entire class to share:

• wire cutters
• wire strippers

Some knowledge of magnetic forces (poles, attraction forces). Refer to the Magnetism unit, Lesson 2: Two Sides of One Force , for this information on electromagnets.

Today, we are going to talk about electromagnets and create our own electromagnets! First, can anyone tell me what an electromagnet is? (Listen to student ideas.) Well, an electromagnet's name helps tell us what it is. (Write the word electromagnet on the classroom board for students to see.) Let's break it down. The first part of the word,  electro , sounds like electricity. The second part of the word, magnet , is what it sounds like—a magnet! So, an electromagnet is a magnet that is created by electricity.

The really important thing to remember today is that electricity can create a magnetic field. This may sound strange, because we're used to magnetic fields just coming from magnets, but it is really true! A wire that has electrical  current running through it creates a magnetic field. In fact, the simplest electromagnet is a single wire that is coiled up and has an electric current running through it. The magnetic field generated by the coil of wire is like a regular bar magnet. If we put an iron (or nickel, cobalt, etc.) rod (perhaps a nail) through the center of the coil (see Figure 1), the rod becomes the magnet, creating a magnetic field. Where do we find the electricity for an electromagnet? Well, we can get this electricity a few ways, such as from a battery or a wall outlet.

We can make this magnetic field stronger by increasing the amount of electric current going through the wire or we can increase the number of wire wraps in the coil of the electromagnet. What do you think happens if we do both of these things? That's right! Our magnet will be even stronger!

Engineers use electromagnets when they design and build motors . Motors are in use around us everyday, so we interact with electromagnets all the time without even realizing it! Can you think of some motors that you have used? (Possible answers: Washing machine, dishwasher, can opener, garbage disposal, sewing machine, computer printer, vacuum cleaner, electric toothbrush, compact disc [CD] player, digital video disc [DVD] player, VCR tape player, computer, electric razor, an electric toy [radio-controlled vehicles, moving dolls], etc.)

Before the Activity

• Gather materials and make copies of the Building an Electromagnet Worksheet .
• Set up enough Electromagnetic Field Stations to accommodate teams of two students each.
• As an alternative, conduct both parts of the activity as teacher-led class demonstrations.

• Prepare for Electromagnetic Field Stations: Wrap wire around a cardboard toilet paper tube 12-15 times to make a wire loop. Leave two long tails of wire hanging from the coil. Poke four holes in the cardboard. Weave the wire ends through the cardboard holes so that the card board tube and coil are attached to the cardboard (see Figure 2). Use clothespins, clamps or tape to secure the cardboard to a table or desk. Using masking tape or rubber band, connect one end of the coil wire to any battery, leaving the other end of the wire not connected to the battery. Place some pins, paperclips or tacks at the station. Also, place any other available extra batteries (6V, 12V, etc.) and two, small orienteering compasses at this station.
• Prepare for Building an Electromagnet: For this portion of the activity, either set up the materials at a station, or give them to pairs of students to work on at their desks.
• Set aside a few extra batteries for students to test their own electromagnets. These might include the 9-V batteries. You can make a 3-V battery setup by connecting 2 D-cells in series or a 4.5-V battery setup by connecting 3 D-cells in series.
• Cut one 2-ft (.6 m) piece of wire for each team. Using wire strippers, remove about ½ inch (1.3 cm) of insulation from both ends of each piece of wire.

With the Students: Electromagnetic Field Stations

• Divide the class into pairs of students. Hand out one worksheet per team.
• Working from the pre-activity setup (see Figure 2), in which one end of the coiled wire is attached to one end of the battery, have students connect the other end of the wire to the other end of the battery using tape or rubber band.
• To locate the magnetic field of the electromagnet, direct students to move the compass in a circle around the electromagnet, paying attention to the direction that the compass points (see Figure 3). Direct students to draw the battery, coil and magnetic field on their worksheets. Use arrows to show the magnetic field. Label the positive and negative ends of the battery and the poles of the magnetic field. What happens if you dangle a paperclip from another paperclip near the coil (see Figure 3)? (Answer: The dangling paperclip moves, changes direction and/or wobbles.)

• Next, reverse the connection of the electromagnet by changing both ends of the wire to the opposite ends of the battery. (When the direction of current is reversed in either a coil or electromagnet, the magnetic poles reverse—the north pole becomes the south pole, and the south pole becomes the north pole.) Use the compass to check the direction of the magnetic field. Make a second drawing. Dangle the paperclip near the coil again. What happens? (Answer: Again, the dangling paperclip moves, changes direction and/or wobbles.)
• Remove at least one end of the wire from the battery to conserve battery power.
• If time permits, use different batteries and observe any changes. A higher voltage translates to a greater current, and with more current, the electromagnet becomes stronger.

With the Students: Building an Electromagnet

• Make sure each student pair has the following materials: 1 nail, 2 feet (.6 m) of insulated wire, 1 D-cell battery, several paperclips (or tacks or pins) and a rubber band.
• Wrap the wire around a nail at least 20 times (see Figure 4). Ensure students wrap their nails tightly, leaving no gaps between the wires and not overlapping the wraps.
• Give the students several minutes to see if they can create an electromagnet on their own before giving them the rest of the instructions.
• To continue making the electromagnet, connect the ends of the coiled wire to each end of the battery using the rubber band to hold the wires in place (see Figure 4).

• Test the strength of the electromagnet by seeing how many paperclips it can pick up.
• Record the number of paperclips on the worksheet.
• Disconnect the wire from the battery after testing the electromagnet. Can the electromagnet pick up paperclips when the current is disconnected? (Answer: No)
• Test how varying the design of the electromagnet affects its strength. The two variables to modify are the number of coils around the nail and the current in the coiled wire by using a different size or number of batteries. To conserve the battery's power, remember to disconnect the wire from the battery after each test.
• Complete the worksheet; making a list of ways engineers might be able to use electromagnets.
• Conclude by holding a class discussion. Compare results among teams. Ask students the post-assessment engineering discussion questions provided in the Assessment section.

battery: A cell that carries a charge that can power an electric current.

current: A flow of electrons.

electromagnet: A magnet made of an insulated wire coiled around an iron core (or any magnetic material such as iron, steel, nickel, cobalt) with electric current flowing through it to produce magnetism. The electric current magnetizes the core material.

electromagnetism: Magnetism created by an electric current.

engineer: A person who applies her/his understanding of science and mathematics to create things for the benefit of humanity and our planet. This includes the design, manufacture and operation of efficient and economical structures, machines, products, processes and systems.

magnet: An object that generates a magnetic field.

magnetic field: The space around a magnet in which the magnet's magnetic force is present.

motor: An electrical device that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.

permanent magnet: An object that generates a magnetic field on its own (without the help of a current).

solenoid: A coil of wire.

Pre-Activity Assessment

Prediction : Ask students to predict what will happen when a wire is wrapped around a nail and electricity is added. Record their predictions on the classroom board.

Brainstorming : In small groups, have students engage in open discussion. Remind them that no idea or suggestion is "silly." All ideas should be respectfully heard. Ask the students: What is an electromagnet?

Activity-Embedded Assessment

Worksheet : At the beginning of the activity, hand out the Building an Electromagnet Worksheet . Have students make drawings, record measurements and follow along with the activity on their worksheets. After students finish the worksheet, have them compare answers with a peer or another pair, giving all students time to finish. Review their answers to gauge their mastery of the subject.

Hypothesize : As students make their electromagnet, ask each group what would happen if they changed the size of their battery. How about more coils of wire around the nail? (Answer: An electromagnet can be made stronger in two ways: increasing the amount of electric current going through the wire or increasing the number of wire wraps in the coil of the electromagnet.)

Post-Activity Assessment

Engineering Discussion Questions : Solicit, integrate and summarize student responses.

• What are ways an engineer might modify an electromagnet to change the strength of its magnetic field? Which modifications might be the easiest or cheapest? (Possible answers: Increasing the number of coils used in the solenoid [electromagnet] is probably the least expensive and easiest way to increase the strength of an electromagnet. Or, an engineer might increase the current in the electromagnet. Or, an engineer might use a metal core that is more easily magnetized.)
• How might engineers use electromagnets in separating recyclable materials? (Answer: Some of the metals in a salvage or recycling pile are attracted to a magnet and can be easily separated. Non-ferrous metals must go through a two-step process in which a voltage is applied to the metal to temporarily induce a current in it, which temporarily magnetizes the metal so it is attracted to the electromagnet for separation from non-metals.)
• What are some ways that engineers might be able to use electromagnets? (Possible answers: Engineers use electromagnets in the design of motors. For examples, see the possible answers to the next question.)
• How are electromagnets used in everyday applications? (Possible answers: Motors are in use around us everyday, for example, refrigerator, washing machine, dishwasher, can opener, garbage disposal, sewing machine, computer printer, vacuum cleaner, electric toothbrush, compact disc [CD] player, digital video disc [DVD] player, VCR tape player, computer, electric razor, an electric toy [radio-controlled vehicles, moving dolls], etc.)

Graphing Practice : Present the class with the following problems and ask students to graph their results (or the entire class' results). Discuss which variables made a bigger change in the strength of the electromagnet.

• Make a graph that shows how the electromagnet strength changed as you changed the number of wire coils in your electromagnet.
• Make a graph that shows how the strength of your electromagnet changed as the current changed (as you changed the battery size).

Safety Issues

The electromagnet can get quite warm, particularly at the terminals, so have students disconnect their batteries at frequent intervals.

A high density of nail wraps is important to produce a magnetic field. If the wrapped nails are not acting as magnets, check students’ coil wraps to ensure they are not crisscrossed, and that the wraps are tight. Also, use thin gauge wire to enable more wraps along the length of the nail.

Iron nails work better than bolts since the bolt threads do not permit smooth wrapping of the copper wire, which may disrupt the magnetic field.

Avoid using batteries that are not fully charged. Partially discharged batteries will not generate a strong and observable magnetic reaction.

If the electromagnets get too warm, have students use rubber kitchen gloves to handle them.

Another way to vary the current in the electromagnet is to use wires of different gauges (thickness) or of different materials (for example: copper vs. aluminum). Ask students to test different wire types to see how this affects the electromagnet's strength. As a control, keep constant the number of coils and amount of current (battery) for all wire tests. Then, based on their rest results, ask students to make guesses about the resistances of the various wires.

• For lower grades, have students follow along with the teacher-led demonstration to create a simple electromagnet. Discuss the basic definition of an electromagnet and how electromagnets are used in everyday applications.
• For upper grades, have students investigate ways to change the strength of their electromagnets without giving them any hints or clues. Have students graph their worksheet data from varying the number of coils and/or battery size in their electromagnet.

Students learn more about magnetism, and how magnetism and electricity are related in electromagnets. They learn the fundamentals about how simple electric motors and electromagnets work. Students also learn about hybrid gasoline-electric cars and their advantages over conventional gasoline-only-pow...

Students are briefly introduced to Maxwell's equations and their significance to phenomena associated with electricity and magnetism. Basic concepts such as current, electricity and field lines are covered and reinforced. Through multiple topics and activities, students see how electricity and magne...

Students induce EMF in a coil of wire using magnetic fields. Students review the cross product with respect to magnetic force and introduce magnetic flux, Faraday's law of Induction, Lenz's law, eddy currents, motional EMF and Induced EMF.

Students investigate the properties of magnets and how engineers use magnets in technology. Specifically, students learn about magnetic memory storage, which is the reading and writing of data information using magnets, such as in computer hard drives, zip disks and flash drives.

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under grants from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, and National Science Foundation (GK-12 grant no 0338326). However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: July 30, 2020

Build an electromagnet

Build an electromagnet to demonstrate how electricity can be converted to magnetism.

After challenging themselves to create a simple electromagnet, your students can then challenge each other to see which prototype is the strongest, measured by how many paper clips their electromagnets can pick up. 

Instructions

Curriculum fit, teaching notes, what you'll need.

• Chart paper and felt pens
• Enameled wire
• Dry cell batteries and holders
• Insulated alligator clips
• Steel paper clips
• "Build an electromagnet" worksheet for each student
• "Build an electromagnet competencies self-assessment" for each student

If you can, try constructing your own electromagnet beforehand so you understand how it’s done.

Safety first

• Metal components in the circuit you are building will get warm during the activity, so don’t touch the batteries, alligator clips, coil, or paper clips.
• When connecting and disconnecting the wires from the batteries, only touch the rubber parts of the alligator clips.
• Disconnect the circuit every two minutes to allow it to cool down.

Creating a friendly and fair competition

• Part of this activity involves your students competing to see who can create the strongest electromagnet. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce the idea of variables and how they can impact an experiment.
• Ask your class how they might go about making sure that a free throw contest in basketball is fair. How would they make sure that no competitor has an unfair advantage?
• This can be done by using the same ball and shooting at the same hoop and from the same line.
• All of the things that can be different in an activity are called “variables” and in science the objective is to control all of those variables.

Building the electromagnets

• Students will work individually to create an electromagnet. They should complete the " Build an electromagnet"  worksheet as they follow the below steps.
• Wrap the wire tightly around the nail to create a coil, leaving 6 cm of wire sticking out at each end of the nail.

• Use the sandpaper to scrape away the enamel coating at both ends, exposing about 2 cm of copper wire.

• Connect the ends of the coil to the battery using the insulated alligator clips.

• Place the electromagnet close to the edge of the table or desk so the nail hangs over the edge. Then hold one of the steel paper clips close to the nail.

• Continue to hold paper clips close to the nail and, using the chart paper and felt pens, keep track of how many paper clips each student's electromagnet is able to hold up.

Hypotheses and testing the electromagnets

• Gather the students and talk about different ways they could increase the number of paper clips their electromagnet can hold.
• On their worksheet, have your students write a hypothesis on how to make a stronger electromagnet. Encourage them to write their hypotheses using “if, then” statements.
• Have students test their hypotheses by changing something about their electromagnet and seeing how many paper clips it can hold. Ensure that they are filling in their worksheets as they test.

Document and debrief

• Bring the class together again and have students share their hypotheses and the results of their testing. Challenge them to think about other variables they might like to test.

Modify or extend this activity

Have your students explore other variables that can affect the strength of an electromagnet by using materials brought from home or found elsewhere in the school.

Curriculum Fit

Grade 7 science .

• Electromagnetism

Curricular competencies

Questioning and predicting.

• Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal interest
• Identify a question to an answer or a problem to solve through scientific inquiry

Planning and conducting

• Collaboratively plan a range of investigation types, including field work and experiments, to answer their questions or to solve problems they have identified
• Ensure that safety and ethical guidelines are followed in their investigations

Processing and analyzing data and information

• Use scientific understanding to identify relationships and draw conclusions

Applying and innovating

• Co-operatively design projects

Communicating

• Communicate ideas, findings and solutions to problems

Grade 7 Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies 

• Forms of energy
• Devices that transform energy

Applied design - prototyping

• Construct a first version of the product   or a prototype, as appropriate, making changes to tools, materials, and procedures as needed
• Identify a question to an answer or a problem to  solve through scientific inquiry
• Explore and test a variety of materials for effective use

Applied design - testing

• Test the first version of the product or the prototype
• Gather peer and/or user and/or expert feedback and inspiration
• Make changes, troubleshoot, and test again

Applied design - sharing

• Demonstrate their product and describe their process, using appropriate terminology and providing reasons for their selected solution and modifications

Teaching Notes

Building an electromagnet.

• An electromagnet sounds complicated but is very simple technology, consisting of a coil of wire with an electrical current flowing through it wound around an iron core. The coils and iron core become magnetized as electricity flows though the circuit. When the current in the wire stops, the coil and core are no longer magnetized. That’s why an electromagnet is known as a temporary magnet. Bar magnets and fridge magnets are examples of permanent magnets.

• In this activity, students manipulate variables to determine what affects the strength of an electromagnet. Variables include the amount of wire, the number of batteries used, and the size of the iron core. Students test their designs using steel paper clips.
• Because electromagnets can be turned on and off, and the strength of the magnetism can be changed by the amount of electrical current flowing through the device, they are useful in real world applications. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, scrapyard cranes, Maglev trains, and eye surgery equipment all use electromagnets.

Scientific investigation

• A scientific investigation is a structured approach for testing a question by exploring a cause-and-effect relationship. One way to create a stronger electromagnet is by adding more batteries to a circuit. This discovery could be realized through open-ended exploration or by first establishing a hypothesis: “I think that adding more batteries to the circuit will make a stronger magnet.” Either way, the student can show that the magnet is stronger as a result of adding more batteries.
• Hypotheses are most effective if stated with “If…, then…” language. “If I do this (1), then that will happen (2).” The (1) is a variable, something that the student is testing to see what the outcome (2) will be. Ideally, all the other conditions remain unchanged. This ensures that changing the variable (1) is what causes the outcome (2). This is known as a fair test.
• If we add more wire wraps to the nail, then the magnet will be stronger.
• If we put extra batteries in the circuit, then the magnet will be stronger.
• If we use a smaller core, then the magnet will pick up fewer paper clips.
• Work collaboratively while following safety guidelines.
• Ask questions while working in groups.
• Make observations, record data, and analyze results.
• Establish and then test a hypothesis for making the electromagnet stronger.
• Communicate ideas and findings using scientific language and representations.
• Explain how the magnetic force could be varied.
• Have students complete the "Build an electromagnet competencies self-assessment" sheet.

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Science Fun

Easy DIY Electromagnet Electricity And Magnetism Science Experiment

In this fun and easy electricity and magnetism science experiment we are going to show you how to build an electromagnet. 

• 6 volt lantern battery
• 2 alligator clips
• Wire strippers
• Insulated piece of copper wire (about 18 gauge)
• Small metal items like screws, washers, paper clips, etc. 

Instructions:

• Strip a small section of the insulation from the ends of the copper wire.
• Wrap the copper wire around the nail.
• Attached the stripped end of the copper wire to the alligator clips.
• Connect the alligator clips to the 6 volt lantern battery.
• Test the nail to see if it is magnetic by holding it near the small metal items. 

EXPLORE AWESOME SCIENCE EXPERIMENT VIDEOS!

How it Works:

The electric field in the coiled wire creates a magnetic field around the nail. The magnetized nail will be able to attract metal items. 

Make This A Science Project:

Try different sized nails. Try to turn other metal items like bolts or metal tubing into electromagnets. Test different gauges of copper wire. Test different sizes of batteries. 

EXPLORE TONS OF FUN AND EASY SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS!

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previous experiment

Next experiment.

How to Make An Electromagnet

• April 12, 2021
• 7-9 Year Olds , Engineering , Physics

Once you teach kids about magnets and magnetic field , the next best thing to teach about Electromagnets.

In this post, let us explore how you can make an electromagnet in less than 5 minutes.

But before exploring electromagnet – kids need to understand the difference between Temporary and Permanent Magnets.

Temporary and Permanent Magnets

Do you know that magnets can be temporary?

A temporary magnet gets magnetic properties and behaves like a magnet when placed in a strong magnetic field. The magnetic properties disappear when you remove them from the magnetic field.

You can test this property by attaching a permanent magnet with a nail and picking up paper clips. Though a nail, by default, does not have any magnetic field, when it is placed in contact with a permanent magnet, the nail will attract paper clips.

You can remove the magnet from the nail and see all the paper clips dropping – It is because the temporary magnet (nail) stops being magnetic when the field disappears.

It is the basic principle behind electromagnet.

Electromagnets

Unlike the previous experiment, Electromagnets created by a magnetic field induced by passing electricity.

In this experiment, we will create an electromagnet by wrapping a copper wire around a metal piece such as an iron nail.

The copper coil is then attached to an electrical source such as a battery. When the electricity flows from the battery through the copper wire – the circuit produces a magnetic field around the coil – which magnetizes the nail.

The key advantage of using electromagnet is the ability to turn them off or on by closing and opening the electrical circuit.

This advantage makes the electromagnets very useful in various day-to-day appliances, such as loudspeakers, MRI machines, generators, heavy lifting equipment, and even simple motors.

Things We Need

Copper Wire (14 Gauge preferred)

Iron Nail / Any long metal piece

C or D Battery

Wire Cutter / Stripper

Electrical Tape

Items to Test (both Non-Magnetic & Magnetic materials)

Step by Step Approach to Making an Electromagnet at Home

Cut a copper wire for about 1 -2 foot long. If the wire has insulation, use wire strippers to remove it to expose the copper conductor.

Leave about 3 to 4 inches of wire and then start wrapping the wire around the nail. The copper wire should be wrapped as a coil until the end of the nail. Make sure to leave out another 3 to 4 inches of wire at the end.

Attach the exposed ends to C or D type battery ends (one on each side). You can use electrical tape to secure the wires to the battery.

To test our electromagnet works, bring up the wire wrapper nail close to small metal articles such as paper clips. You should see that the paper clips are attracted to the nail.

Have your kids test the electromagnets with various objects (papers, plastic products, popcorn, coins, etc.) – you can also ask them to record their observation in the below worksheets.

Worksheet for testing and recording magnetic properties with different materials

Another Electromagnet worksheet to capture student’s understanding on concepts.

Explore Other Interesting Magnet Science Activities:

Christmas Tree Magnet Maze

Design Your Own Magnet Maze

Magnetic Marble Run

Science Behind Electromagnets

When electricity passes through the coil wrapped around the nail, the moving charges produce a magnetic field.

If the current flows through a straight wire, it produces a circular magnetic field around the wire. But when we wrap the wire as a coil (called Solenoid ) – each wire produces a magnetic field – but these magnetic fields merged to produce a stronger magnetic field.

However, the coil by itself is very weak to pick up any materials using its magnetic field. So we need to add a ferromagnetic core (in our case – the nail). Ferromagnetic materials typically have tiny individual magnetic domains spread across all over the material. In a typical scenario – these small magnetic domains aligned randomly, so they cancel each other out.

But in the presence of an external magnetic field (such as the one produced by Solenoid) – these individual magnetic domains align with each other in line with the external magnetic field – making the entire magnetic field much stronger.

The coil attached to the positive end of the battery becomes the south pole, and the other end attached to the negative end become the north pole of the magnet. Thus, by changing the current flow – you can reverse the north and south of the electromagnet poles created.

Besides, electromagnets can be switched on and off by switching on and off the electricity passing through the Solenoid.

The magnet’s strength can also be controlled by the number of coils wrapped on the ferromagnetic core, the amount of electricity passing through the coil or even by the material chosen to form the core. You can extend this science experiment by altering one of these materials.

Just a word of caution:  The wires can become very hot when connected with electricity. So always switch it off / disconnect from the battery source when not used.

Lesson Plan

• Gather required materials for this electromagnetic challenge. You can choose to conduct this experiment through groups or individually with kids.
• Discuss with students – how magnets work and basic principles of magnetism.
• Discuss the differences between permanent and temporary magnets.
• Hand out the worksheet and allow kids to predict the outcome for the given materials. (worksheet is shown above).
• Either as a group or individually, allow students to complete the experiment.
• Make the students complete the rest of the worksheet.
• Finally, discuss what went well in their prediction and what did not go well – and the reason behind it. Now hand over the additional worksheets to make them think more profound about the concepts.  

More References:

https://www.first4magnets.com/downloads/1377872469Activity-How-to-make-an-electromagnet.pdf

https://www.deltaeducation.com/broward/pdfs/gr4_PDFs/gr4_q4_act38.pdf

Electromagnet Vocabulary : https://peakstudents.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/[email protected]

Strength of Electromagnets: https://www.sciencea-z.com/science/resource/SL_Gr_3_Effects_of_Forces_L4_all_printable_resources.pdf

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• Intro Lab - Build an Electromagnet

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Basic Projects and Test Equipment

• Intro Lab - How to Use a Voltmeter to Measure Voltage
• Intro Lab - How to Use an Ohmmeter to Measure Resistance
• Intro Lab - How to Use an Ammeter to Measure Current
• Intro Lab - Ohm’s Law
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• Intro Lab - A Simple Lighting Circuit
• Intro Lab - Nonlinear Resistance
• Intro Lab - Circuit With a Switch
• Intro Lab - Electromagnetic Induction

In this hands-on electronics experiment, you will build an electromagnet and learn about electromagnetism including the relationship of magnetic polarity to current flow.

Project overview.

In this project, you will build and test the electromagnet circuit illustrated in Figure 1.  Electromagnetism has many applications, including:

• Electric motors
• Computer printer mechanisms
• Magnetic media write heads (tape recorders and disk drives)

Figure 1. Electromagnet circuit for generating a magnetic field from an electric current.

Parts and materials.

• 6 V battery
• Magnetic compass
• Small permanent magnet
• Spool of 28-gauge magnet wire
• Large bolt, nail, or steel rod
• Electrical tape

Magnet wire is a term for thin-gauge copper wire with enamel insulation instead of rubber or plastic insulation. Its small size and very thin insulation allow for many turns to be wound in a compact coil. Keep in mind that you will need enough magnet wire to wrap hundreds of turns around the bolt, nail, or other rod-shaped steel forms.

Another thing, make sure to select a bolt, nail, or rod that is magnetic. Stainless steel, for example, is non-magnetic and will not function for the purpose of an electromagnet coil! The ideal material for this experiment is soft iron, but any commonly available steel will suffice.

Learning Objectives

• Application of the left-hand rule
• Electromagnet construction

Instructions

Step 1:  Wrap a single layer of electrical tape around the steel bar (or bolt or mail) to protect the wire from abrasion.

Step 2:  Proceed to wrap several hundred turns of wire around the steel bar, making the coil as even as possible. It is okay to overlap wire, and it is okay to wrap in the same style that a fishing reel wraps the line around the spool. The only rule you must follow is that all turns must be wrapped around the bar in the same direction (no reversing from clockwise to counter-clockwise!).

I find that a drill press works as a great tool for coil winding: clamp the rod in the drill’s chuck as if it were a drill bit, then turn the drill motor on at a slow speed and let it do the wrapping! This allows you to feed wire onto the rod in a very steady, even manner.

Step 3:  After you’ve wrapped several hundred turns of wire around the rod, wrap a layer or two of electrical tape over the wire coil to secure the wire in place.

Step 4:  Scrape the enamel insulation off the ends of the coil wires to expose the wire for connection to jumper leads

Step 5: Connect the coil to a battery, as illustrated in Figure 1 and defined in the circuit schematic of Figure 2.

Figure 2.  Schematic diagram of the electromagnet circuit.

Step 6:  When the electric current goes through the coil, it will produce a strong magnetic field with one pole at each end of the rod. This phenomenon is known as electromagnetism. With the electromagnet energized (connected to the battery), use the magnetic compass to identify the north and south poles of the electromagnet. 

Step 7: Place a permanent magnet near one pole and note whether there is an attractive or repulsive force.

Step 8:  Reverse the orientation of the permanent magnet and repeat steps 7 and 8. Note the difference in force caused by changing the polarity of the applied voltage and the direction of the current flow. 

Inductive Kickback

You might notice a significant spark whenever the battery is disconnected from the electromagnet coil, much greater than the spark produced if the battery is short-circuited. This spark results from a high-voltage surge created whenever current is suddenly interrupted through the coil.

The effect is called inductive kickback  and can deliver a small but harmless electric shock. To avoid receiving this shock, do not place your body across the break in the circuit when de-energizing. Use one hand at a time when un-powering the coil, and you’ll be perfectly safe.

Related Content

Learn more about the fundamentals behind this project in the resources below.

• Magnetism and Electromagnetism
• Electromagnetism

Worksheets:

• Basic Electromagnetism and Electromagnetic Induction Worksheet
• Intermediate Electromagnetism and Electromagnetic Induction Worksheet
• Advanced Electromagnetism and Electromagnetic Induction Worksheet
• Textbook Index

Lessons in Electric Circuits

Volumes ».

• Direct Current (DC)
• Alternating Current (AC)
• Semiconductors
• Digital Circuits
• EE Reference

Chapters »

• 1 Introduction to Electronics Projects

Pages »

• 3 DC Circuit Projects
• 4 AC Circuit Projects
• 5 Discrete Semiconductor Circuit Projects
• 6 Analog IC Projects
• 7 Digital IC Projects
• 8 555 Timer Circuit Projects
• 9 Contributor List
• Advanced Textbooks Practical Guide to Radio-Frequency Analysis and Design
• Designing Analog Chips
• Silicon Labs Bluetooth Solutions
• Building tinyML Solutions for the Edge
• Innovative Bluetooth Technology with Silicon Labs
• Building a Highly Efficient Battery that Lasts
• Smart Bench Essentials and Remote Lab Access
• Renesas Lab on the Cloud: Evaluate Boards Remotely through an Intuitive GUI

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Science Projects > Physics & Engineering Projects > Electromagnetism Experiments  

Electromagnetism Experiments

Electric current flowing through a wire creates a magnetic field that attracts ferromagnetic objects, such as iron or steel. This is the principle behind electromagnets and magnetic levitation trains. It allows cranes to pick up whole cars in the junkyard and makes your doorbell ring. You can read about it here , and then watch it work when you do these experiments. (Adult supervision recommended.)

Electromagnetic Experiments

-Electromagnetic Suction -Electromagnet -Magnetic Propulsion

Experiment 1: Electromagnetic Suction

A single strand of wire produces only a very weak magnetic field, but a tight coil of wire (called a solenoid ) gives off a stronger field. In this experiment, you will use an electric current running through a solenoid to suck a needle into a straw!

What You Need:

• drinking straw
• 5 feet insulated copper wire
• 6-volt battery

What You Do:

1. Make your solenoid. Take five feet of insulated copper wire and wrap it tightly around the straw. Your solenoid should be about 3 inches long, so you’ll have enough wire to wrap a couple of layers.

2. Trim the ends of the straw so they just stick out of the solenoid.

3. Hold the solenoid horizontally and put the end of the needle in the straw and let go. What happens?

4. Now strip an inch of insulation off each end of the wire and connect the ends to the 6-volt battery. Insert the needle part-way in the straw again and let go. This time what happens? (Don’t leave the wire hooked up to the battery for more than a few seconds at a time – it will get hot and drain the battery very quickly)

When you hooked your solenoid up to a battery, an electric current flowed through the coils of the wire, which created a magnetic field. This field attracted the needle just like a magnet and sucked it into the straw. Try some more experiments with your solenoid – will more coils make it suck the needle in faster? Will it still work with just a few coils? Make a prediction and then try it out!

Experiment 2: Electromagnet

As you saw in the last experiment, electric current flowing through a wire produces a magnetic field. This principle comes in very handy in the form of an electromagnet. An electromagnet is wire that is tightly wrapped around a ferromagnetic core. When the wire is connected to a battery, it produces a magnetic field that magnetizes the core. The magnetic fields of the core and the solenoid work together to make a very strong magnet. The best part about it is that the magnetic force stops when the electricity is turned off! Try it yourself with this experiment:

• large iron nail

1. Tightly wrap the wire around the nail to make a solenoid with a ferromagnetic core. If you have enough wire, wrap more than one layer. (If your nail fits inside the straw from the last experiment, you can use that solenoid instead of rewrapping the wire.)

2. Try to pick up some paperclips with the wire-wrapped nail. Can you do it?

3. Strip an inch of insulation off each end of the wire.

4. Hook up the wire to the battery and try again to pick up the paperclips with the nail. This time the electricity will create a magnetic field and the nail will attract paperclips! (Don’t leave the wire hooked up to the battery for more than a few seconds at a time – it will get hot and drain the battery very quickly.)

Experiment some more with your electromagnet. Count how many paperclips it can pick up. If you coil more wire around it will it pick up more paperclips? How many paperclips can you pick up if you only use half as much wire? What would happen if you used a smaller battery, like a D-size? Predict what you think will happen and then try it out!

Experiment 3: Magnetic Propulsion

A maglev (magnetically levitated) train doesn’t use a regular engine like a normal train. Instead, electromagnets in the track produce a magnetic force that pushes the train from behind and pulls it from the front. You can get an idea of how it works using some permanent magnets and a toy car.

• 3 bar magnets

1. Tape a bar magnet to a small toy car with the north pole at the back of the car and the south pole at the front.

2. Put the car on a hard surface, like a linoleum floor or a table. Hold a bar magnet behind the car with the south pole facing the car. As you move it near the car, what happens? The south pole of your magnet repels the north pole of the magnet on the car, making the car move forward.

3. Have someone else hold another magnet in front of the car, with the north pole facing the car. Does the car move faster with one magnet ‘pushing’ from behind and the other magnet ‘pulling’ from ahead?

In our example, the permanent magnets have to move with the car to keep it going. In a maglev track, though, the electromagnets just change their poles by changing the direction of the electric current. They stay in the same spot, but their poles change as the train goes by so it will always be repelled from the electromagnets behind it and attracted by the electromagnets in front of it!

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