Make a science project using electricity to make a magnet
This is great for demonstration at the science fair and is good for high school age students.
Go to your local hardware store and get the following items:
A nail (you will need a long nail that is at least 3 inches long.)
D Batteries - you will need 2 of these
Thin wire
A wire cutter
Masking tape
Electric tape
Paper clips
A "knife" switch - you can buy one of these at Radio Shack or have it ordered out of the catalog. I believe it costs about .00.
Here are the instructions to make the magnet:
Taking your thin wire leave about 6 inches of wire hanging and then start wrapping the wire tightly around the long nail. You will want to wrap it around 60 times. When you are done let another 6 inches extra wire hang from that end of the nail and cut.
Set your two batteries next to each other and the knife switch next to them.
Take the nail with wire wrapped around and face it so that the head of the nail is on your left and the point is on the right.
Take the excess wire hanging from the point of the nail and bring to the bottom of one of the batteries. This is the negative side and using the masking tape tape it to the bottom. Make sure the wire it touching the battery.
Now take the excess wire that is hanging from the nail head and attach it to a terminal on the knife switch.
Now cut two extra pieces of wire about 8 inches each. The first one tape onto the top or positive end of the battery which you attached the wire from the nail and bring the other end of the wire and attached with tape to the bottom or negative end of the 2nd battery.
With the second piece of wire tape an end to the top or positive end of the second battery and attached the other end to the other terminals on the knife switch.
Now if you push the top of the knife switch to close it you will have closed the circuit and now create electricity running through the wires and all around the nail. Do not hold the nail as it has electricity running through it. Let it lay down on the table.
Using your paperclips bring them close to the nail and see if they are magnetized. To understand this you need to know that when current from electricity goes through the wire wrapped around the nail it makes the magnetic field. The field is extending in circles which keep expanding outward. When you twist the wire into a coil it is called a solenoid. Because the wire is coiled the magnetic field twists which causes the magnetic energy to stay inside the area of the coiled wire. This is a very strong magnet which is termed an electromagnet.
When this electromagnet is created it causes all the fields to go one way which are consistent with a magnet and creates a north and south pole. This makes it strong enough to pick up things like a small paper clip.
Let's see how strong your magnet is. See how many paper clips you can pick up. What if you make the magnet with only one battery. How weak is that battery compared to one with two batteries?
This science project is great for the demonstration at the science fair.
| Price : $6.98
