ELECTRICITY LESSON 2

ELECTROMAGENTS

WHAT ARE ELECTROMAGNETS?

An electromagnet is a soft metal core made into a magnet by the passage of electric current through a coil surrounding it. They are used in many electric devices, such as motors and MRI machines.

WARM-UP (5 MIN)

In your notebook, always include the date, the lesson title, and do the warm-up task associated to that date.

Task: What do you think the difference between regular magnets and electromagnets is?

WARM-UP DISCUSSION (7 MIN)

Here we discuss what electromagnets are and how they are used in our lives. The goal is to have one drawing of a device that uses electromagnets.

LAB: CREATE YOUR OWN ELECTROMAGNET (15 MIN)

Purpose: To further understand electromagnets and how they work
Materials: insulated copper wire, battery, screw, tape
Procedure:

Step 1: Wrap the wire around the nail
- Wrap the wire around the nail many times, while still leaving a fair amount of wire on both ends. The more times the wire is wrapped, the better.
Step 2: Connect the wire to the battery
- Tape one end of the wire to the positive end of the battery, and the other end to the negative side. The magnet will work no matter what side of the battery you attach each wire end to. Tape it into place.
- You just made your own electromagnet! The electric current running through the wire produces a magnetic field, making the electromagnet work.
Step 3: Draw your experiment in the notebook. Include all materials labeled.