How to Create an Electromagnet
Gather your materials., Remove the insulation from the copper wire., Wrap the wire around the nail.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your materials.
Before you can make an electromagnet, take a moment to gather your materials.
You will need the following:
An iron nail that is 15 centimeters long Three meters of 22 gauge insulated copper wire At least one D-cell battery A pair of wire strippers, which you can pick up at a local hardware storeA rubber band -
Step 2: Remove the insulation from the copper wire.
Copper wires are usually coated in a layer of plastic for insulation purposes.
This is to protect users from electric shock.
However, the battery cannot transfer electrons to the wire through the insulation.
The coating needs to be removed.
Using your wire strippers, remove a few centimeters of insulation from each end of the wire.Wire clippers look like a pair of scissors with a hole cut out in the middle.
You feed the wire through this hole and pull the clippers across the wire to strip the insulation.
You should get a wire stripper that's small enough to strip a very small bit of copper wire., Once you've prepared the wire, you can begin building your battery.
To start, neatly wind the wire around your nail.
The smaller loops you use, the stronger your battery will be.
Be careful to leave enough wire on either end.
You'll be attaching the excess wire to your battery, so it's a good idea to leave about 8 inches of loose wire on each end.
You should wrap the wire in one direction.
This assures that electrons can flow through a wire in a way that creates a magnetic field.If the wire is wrapped in opposite directions, magnetic fields will fight against each other.
They will end up canceling each other out. -
Step 3: Wrap the wire around the nail.
Detailed Guide
Before you can make an electromagnet, take a moment to gather your materials.
You will need the following:
An iron nail that is 15 centimeters long Three meters of 22 gauge insulated copper wire At least one D-cell battery A pair of wire strippers, which you can pick up at a local hardware storeA rubber band
Copper wires are usually coated in a layer of plastic for insulation purposes.
This is to protect users from electric shock.
However, the battery cannot transfer electrons to the wire through the insulation.
The coating needs to be removed.
Using your wire strippers, remove a few centimeters of insulation from each end of the wire.Wire clippers look like a pair of scissors with a hole cut out in the middle.
You feed the wire through this hole and pull the clippers across the wire to strip the insulation.
You should get a wire stripper that's small enough to strip a very small bit of copper wire., Once you've prepared the wire, you can begin building your battery.
To start, neatly wind the wire around your nail.
The smaller loops you use, the stronger your battery will be.
Be careful to leave enough wire on either end.
You'll be attaching the excess wire to your battery, so it's a good idea to leave about 8 inches of loose wire on each end.
You should wrap the wire in one direction.
This assures that electrons can flow through a wire in a way that creates a magnetic field.If the wire is wrapped in opposite directions, magnetic fields will fight against each other.
They will end up canceling each other out.
About the Author
Susan Webb
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow lifestyle tutorials.
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