Lab Report
Iván Aldama 1#
Beatriz Gocher 9#
Somara Reuter 15#
Brenda Villareal 23#
8°
Sierra Madre Institute
Teacher Ma.Elena
Team #5
February 2010
Problem Statement
How does an electric motor creates its energy to work and why is it that you
can turn it on and off, which differs from a permanent magnet?
Hypothesis
The electric motor will produce enough mechanical energy, due to the
interaction of magnetic fields, to turn on, so at the end it will work.
Procedure
Materials;
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2 corks
Knitting needle
Insulated copper wire
Tape
Hammer
Nails
Wooden base
2 magnets
Plastic-coated wire
Battery
Drawing pins
1. Pus the 2 corks, one large and one small, onto the knitting needle. Move the
corks to the middle of the needle with about 1cm between them.
2. Wind some insulated copper wire around the large cork about 10 turns, and
tape the 2 ends to the small cork.
3. Hammer the nails into the wooden base in 2 pairs.
4. Tape the 2 magnets to the wooden blocks on either side of the large cork,
facing opposite, same high as the needle. Tape them
5. Strip the coating from the ends of 2 short lengths of plastic-coated wire.
Connect the battery and switch as in diagram.
6. Using drawing pins, fix the bare ends of the wire so that they press against
the copper wire on the small cork.
7. Switch on and it will start to turn.
Results
At the end, the electric motor really worked! We tried with different wires to
make it work, and even changed the battery. It started to turn because of the
magnetic fields working with each other. The knitting needle started to turn, because
of the 2 magnets at the sides they repelled, so that caused the needle to turn.
Analysis
The interpretation of the experiment is that because finally we got the right
caliber of cables and battery it worked. During the experiment we had a lot of
problems; the cables didn’t fit with the battery so we bought thinner ones. Also, so it
could work we had to make with patience the turns of the cables. We just needed to
follow the steps and it now it’s done.
Introduction
Did you know the Earth is really a giant magnet? Well it really is! We are team
#5, and we talk about magnetism. Magnets create magnetic fields. Every magnet
has north and south pole, and by this they repel or attract. We did an electric motor,
which uses electric energy to produce mechanical energy, through the interaction of
magnetic fields of the magnets. Our sources of information can be trusted; we got
like mainly from school pages and Wikipedia. Another source was our physics book.
Conclusion
Well, this was our project. By the help of the interaction of magnetic fields you
can make an electric motor to function well. An electric motor isn’t a permanent
magnet because you can turn it on and off. You need the magnets to repel each
other so it can work properly. Our conclusion is that an electric motor is difficult to do,
but with right battery and wires you can make it run. Our recommendations is to
always follow you teacher’s instructions and follow each, step by step, so the
experiment can go well. So, in which other objects of your daily life magnetism is
involved?