Day 1 - Get the Electromagnet to Work

Nancy's introduces that how-to of building a barely functional electromagnet. The load students will eventually be raising is a plastic cup with as many 16 d (16 penny) nails in it. For now, the aim is to lift a chain of paper clips.

Students are introduced to removing the enamel insulation from bell wire and the basics of winding wire around the nail in the electromagnet's core. They then take baseline data in a series of four experimental trials.

With a rudimentary design in mind, students investigate those elements of an electromagnet that most influences how many paperclips it can left (how much of a magnetic field it can generate to lift a load).