Electromagnetism

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Electromagnetism

Aim-

The aim of my experiment is to see what factors affect

electromagnetism the most so as to give the best electromagnet in an

experiment. The factors I will use are: the number of coil wraps

around the iron nail and the amount of current in the circuit. It is

these factors that I will use to see which one gives the best

electromagnet.

Scientific Knowledge-

How to get an electromagnet-

When an electric current flows through a coil of wire it sets up a

magnetic influence or 'field' around the wire. The more turns of wire

there are in the coil and the bigger the current, the stronger this

magnetic field will be. An easy way to wind the wire is around an

object and a winding like this is called a solenoid; if now an iron

core is put through the hole in the coil it will become an

electromagnet when a current is sent through the wire around it. The

reason for using iron is that it concentrates and strengthens the

magnetic field.

An Electromagnet in Electron Terms-

This part is quite simple. A current is made up of electrons, so when

you say a current flows you could also say when electrons flow. So if

a current creates a magnetic field then the electrons also create a

magnetic field. So the flow of electrons gives a magnetic field, which

in turn creates the electromagnet. So the electromagnet can be traced

directly back to the electrons within a wire.

Magnetic Field-

The arrows represent the magnetic field.

[IMAGE]If one considers the circular magnetic field round each short

length of wire in the flat circular coil, it can be seen that the

field adds up through the centre of the coil. This leads to a strong

field through the coil but a weak one outside it (see diagrams).

A solenoid may be considered as a series of flat circular coils, each

a little spaced apart from one another on a common axis.

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