Building an Electromagnet
Student Lab Sheet
Materials:
6 volt battery
Long piece of wire
Large nail
Paper clips or staples
Procedure:
Wrap the nail with the insulated wire making 20 loops, leaving 3 or more
inches at each end. It should look something like this:
Attach one end of the wire to the positive (+) end of the battery and the
other end to the negative (-) end of the battery.
Try picking up paper clips with your electromagnet. Record your observation
in your science journal.
Loosen one of the wires. Try picking up paper clips. Record your
observations in your science journal.
Remove the nail from the wires. Try picking up paper clips with the iron nail.
Record your observations in your science journal.
Consider:
What does an electromagnet show about the strength of magnetic fields?
When you disconnect the battery, does the magnet still work? Why or why
not?
Describe a relationship between the flow of electricity and magnetic fields.
NOTE: Be sure to disconnect the wires from your electromagnet once you
have completed the lab, so you do not drain your battery.