Page 110 - Big Ideas Year 10 sciPAD 2025

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110 SCIPAD - BIG IDEAS - BOOK 2
CIRCUITS AND MAGNETS
Uses of Magnets - Electric Motors
Electric motors are devices that convert electrical energy into motion. They do this by using
magnets. In the ‘Electromagnets’ exercise you saw how electrical currents create their own
magnetic fields. Motors work by making electricity flow into loops of wire that are suspended
inside a magnetic field created by magnets. The magnetic field that the loops of wire create push
against the magnetic field of the magnets, causing them to rotate. This rotation turns the axle of
the motor, and anything the axle is attached to.
Building a Simple Electric Motor
Aim: To build a simple electric motor.
Equipment: 400 mm of un-insulated copper wire,1 AA battery, 2 small magnets (approx. 10 mm
x 5 mm) - neodymium magnets work really well.
Method:
Bend your wire in
half and lay the
bend over the point
in the middle of the
template below.
Now work around
each side of the wire,
bending it along the
line as you go.
Place both of the
magnets on the
negative terminal of
your battery.
Place the curved
sections of wire
around the magnets,
ensuring that they
are free to rotate.
Balance the pointed
section on top of the
positive terminal.
Stand the battery on
a bench.
If you’ve done
everything correctly,
when you let the
wire go it should spin
vigorously!
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