6.P.3A.4 Develop and use models to exemplify how magnetic fields produced by electrical energy flow in a circuit is interrelated in electrical magnets, generators, and simple electrical motors. Name __________________________________ Date ____________________ Core ________ Electromagnet Lab Materials ● 4-inch iron or steel nail ● 2 foot piece of wire with 1-inch of insulation removed from each end ● At least 2 different sized batteries such as D, AA, AAA or Lantern ● Paperclips ● Protective gloves or other insulating material Procedure 1. See what happens when you touch the nail by itself to one of the paperclips. Is it magnetic? 2. Wrap the wire around the nail 10 times (it works best if the coils are close together but not overlapping). Make sure to leave extra wire on both sides to connect to the battery. 3. Attach one end of the wire to the (+) side of the battery. Then, attach the other end of the wire to the (-) side of the battery. Be sure to where gloves or have another insulating material between the battery and wire and your fingers, it will not shock you but it can heat up. 4. Has the nail become magnetic? Touch the nail to the paperclips to find out. Make sure that the wires stay attached to the battery while trying to magnetically pick up paperclips. 5. Write down how many paperclips the electromagnet was able to pick up (if any) and write down any additional observations. 6. Repeat steps 2 through 5, but this time wrap the wire around the nail 20 times and then 30 times and record your observations on the worksheet. 7. Predict how many paperclips 40 coils will lift, then test your prediction. 8. Replace the battery with one of a higher voltage and repeat steps 2 – 7. 9. Answer the conclusion questions. Name ____________________________________ Date __________________ Core ________ Electromagnet Lab Part 1: 1. Can you pick up paperclips with the non-electrified nail? What does this tell you about the nail's magnetic properties? 2. Test Your Electrified Nail with the smaller battery Coils Paper Clips Picked Up Other Observations 10 20 30 3. How did the number of coils affect the number of paperclips you could pick up? What does this tell you about how the number of coils changes the strength of an electromagnet? 4. Make a prediction: Wrap the nail 40 times. How many paper clips will be picked up based on the information already collected. Explain your reasoning. ● Prediction: ___ ● Explanation of your prediction: ● Actual number of paperclips lifted: ___ Part 2: 5. One way to make an electromagnet stronger is to increase the current. What do you think would happen if you repeated the experiment using a larger battery? 6. Test the electrified nail with the larger battery: Coils Paper Clips Picked Up Other Observations 10 20 30 7. How did the size of the battery affect the number of paperclips you could pick up? What does this tell you about how the size of the battery changes the strength of an electromagnet? 8. Make a prediction: Wrap the nail 40 times. How many paper clips will be picked up based on the information already collected. Explain your reasoning. ● Prediction: ___ ● Explanation of your prediction: ● Actual number of paperclips lifted: ___ Conclusion 9. What are the factors that affect the strength of an electromagnet? 10. Briefly explain how you think you could construct an electromagnet strong enough to lift a car. Include ratios and or multiples of batteries, wire and coils. Draw a picture to go with your plan. 11.Create a line graph comparing data points for both batteries and each number of coils *Bonus Question 12. A paper clip weighs .003 pounds. A Nissan Versa Car weighs 2,500 pounds. Using what you just found, how many coils would it take to lift up the car? Extension 13. Research one way that humans utilize electromagnets. Write a paragraph summary of it.
