How does electromagnet work for kids

A simple electromagnet consisting of a coil of wire wrapped around an iron core. A core of ferromagnetic material like iron serves to increase the magnetic field created. The strength of magnetic field generated is proportional to the amount of current through the winding. Cross section of lifting electromagnet like that in above photo, showing cylindrical construction. The windings C are flat copper strips to withstand the Lorentz force of the magnetic field. The core is formed by the thick iron housing D that wraps around the windings.

Electromagnet facts for kids Kids Encyclopedia Facts. A hollow tube type of explosively pumped flux compression generator. All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles including the article images and facts can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:. This page was last modified on 20 September , at Suggest an edit. 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.

Figure 2. Setup for an Electromagnetic Field Station. Figure 3. Experimenting with the magnetic field of the electromagnet. Figure 4. Setup to make an electromagnet using a battery, wire and nail. The electric current magnetizes the core material.

This includes the design, manufacture and operation of efficient and economical structures, machines, products, processes and systems. 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. Ask the students: What is an electromagnet? 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Why Teach Engineering in K? Electromagnets can be used to separate magnetic materials such as iron and steel from mixed piles of trash.

The metals are pulled out by the magnet while nonmagnetic objects such as glass and plastic stay behind. Toggle text. Quiz yourself on magnets! Electromagnets Poles of a magnet Using magnets.