Electromagnetism Experiment

Electromagnetism Experiment

Introduction:

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I start the introduction with a question: Will increasing current in

an electromagnet increase the power of the electromagnet?

The electromagnet we will be making is a very primitive one compared

to that of the complexity of modern electromagnets found in machinery,

but the way it works is almost identical. Electromagnetic technology

is extremely complex and because it is an electromagnet, the higher

the current, the stronger it becomes, and with this an electromagnet

can become incomprehensively strong. Such an example is that used in

theme park rides to stop moving parts etc. these electromagnets are in

fact so strong that when uncovered, if you were to stand with a

spanner in your hand 10 metres away, it would pull the spanner out of

your hand along with the rest of your arm! To understand fully how an

electromagnet works read on…

Background information:

When an insulated wire is wrapped around some form of iron, nickel or

cobalt core, whether it be a nail or a u-shaped core, and then

attached to a power supply it creates an electromagnet capable of

picking anything from the size of a paperclip right up to anything as

big as a car and bigger! Obviously such a primitive electromagnet

would not be able to lift a car but a more advanced one would have no

problem lifting a car. When the power supply is cut off the items

picked up will fall off. This is because the current creates a

magnetic field and this magnetic field is lost when it is turned off.

When a current channels through an electromagnet a magnetic field is

produced. This field is built up in a series of concentric rings. The

diagram below shows a cross-section of a wire's magnetic field. As you

come further away from the wire the field weakens and spreads further

apart from each ring.

[IMAGE]

There are four main factors that affect the strength and size of this

field:

Current/voltage