A pull from electricity
You can build your own electromagnet—and you can find ways to make
your magnet stronger. This project will show you how.
Ask a grown-up to use the knife to scrape about an inch (2.5
centimeters) of the covering from each end of the wire.
Beginning about a foot (30 cm) from one end of the wire, wind the wire
evenly around one nail. Make as many turns as you can. Tape the wire at
both ends of the nail to hold the wire in place.
Attach the bare ends of the wire to the two battery posts, as shown. Now
test your magnet. How many paper clips can it pick up? Can it pick up
heavier metal things?
Making the pull stronger
Materials
• bell wire (6 feet;
1.8 meters)
dry cell (No. 6)
knife
nails (2 large)
paper clips (steel)
tape
Unhook the wire. Take the long end and wrap another layer of wire around
the nail. Tape the ends of the wire in place and test your magnet again.
What happens?
The magnet picks up a heavier load. Adding more wire makes the magnet
stronger.
Now unwind the wire. Put the two nails together and wind a layer of wire
around both nails. Test your new magnet. What happens this time?
The magnet with two nails picks up a heavier load than the magnet with
one nail. Using a bigger core can make the magnet stronger, too.
What do you think will happen if you wind a second layer of wire around
the two-nail magnet? Try it and see.
