We built our electromagnet!

What is an electromagnet?

An electromagnet is a type of magnet consisting of a coil and a magnetic iron core. The main difference with another type of magnet is that it becomes a permanent magnet when the electromagnet is connected to an electric current.

What materials do we need to build our electromagnet?

• A static stack
• Wire
• An iron screw
• Scotch tape
• Clips

What process are we going to follow?

• First of all, we will take the screw and wrap the cable around it. In doing so, we will have to leave a piece of free wire and also 1 centimeter from the start of the screw. In addition, care must be taken when winding it so that each turn of the cable is as taut as possible, but without mounting one on top of the other.
• Then, so that it does not unwind, we will hold the ends of the cable with adhesive tape.
• Finally, we will connect the two ends of the cable that we have left free at each end of the screw, with each pole of the battery.

And now what do we do with our electromagnet?

• Now that we have built our electromagnet, we can start testing its operation. To do this, we will bring the clips closer to the tip of the screw to see how they are attracted.
• However, when we disconnect one of the cables from the battery and try to do the same with the clips, we will see that they come close to the screw at first, but soon after they do not come close, since the magnetic force that possessed the electromagnet ends up disappearing if it does not receive electric current.
• At this point, we can experiment with the amount of weight that the electromagnet can attract, wind more or less wire or replace the battery with one of higher or lower voltage.
• You must bear in mind that due to the Joule effect, the cable will heat up, so we recommend that you keep an eye on the condition of the cable to disconnect the battery when the temperature is too high.