Studyfin
✨ Sign up free
Hey there! Let's explore how electricity and magnets work together to make amazing things happen.
Electricity is the flow of tiny, invisible charges. When these charges move through a wire, they create a magnetic field around it.
We can wrap a wire around an iron nail to make an electromagnet. When electricity flows, the nail becomes a magnet!
If you turn off the electricity, the magnetic field goes away. This makes electromagnets very useful because we can turn them on and off.
✏️ Worked example
Let's build a simple electromagnet. We want to make it strong enough to pick up five paperclips. How can we do this?
- First, get a large iron nail, some insulated copper wire, and a fresh D-cell battery.
- Next, wrap the wire tightly around the nail twenty times. Leave some loose wire at both ends.
- Connect one loose end of the wire to the positive side of the battery.
- Connect the other loose end of the wire to the negative side of the battery.
- Now, touch the nail to the paperclips. It will pick them up like a magnet!
- To make it even stronger, wrap the wire around the nail forty times instead of twenty.
Want the full interactive lesson — quiz, animations, and Finn cheering them on?