Name______Period ____

Date______

Physics Lab #7

Building an Electromagnet

WARM-UP – Write a brief summary of what you learned from the “how magnets are made” video.

PURPOSE: To produce an electromagnet capable of picking up paper clips, and to develop at least three ways of making it stronger.

MATERIALS: Nail 2m of magnet wire Wires with alligator clips

1.5 V battery 10 paper clips Battery Holder

Sandpaper

HYPOTHESIS

I think that increasing the voltage will ______the electromagnet’s strength.

(increase, decrease or not change)

I think that increasing the wire coils will ______the electromagnet’s strength.

PROCEDURE:

1.  Wrap the magnet wire in a tight, even coil (25 times) around the nail. Leave 3 or 4 inches of wire loose at each end.

2.  Sand about 1-2 cm of the loose wire ends.

3.  Attach one end of the wire to the positive (+) end of one of your batteries. Attach the other end of the wire to the negative end (-) of your battery. Record how many paperclips your electromagnet picked up.

4.  Use this same electromagnet except use two batteries and record how many paperclips your electromagnet picked up.

5.  Once you have completely tested the electromagnet with 25 wraps of wire, build one with 50 wraps of wire and test using a single battery as well as two batteries and record results.

6.  After you have finished testing the second electromagnet, make certain that everyone on your team has all of the data.

DATA TABLES/OBSERVATIONS

25-turn Electromagnet

Battery Voltage / Number of paper clips picked up / Average
First try / second try

50-turn Electromagnet

Battery Voltage / Number of paper clips picked up / Average
First try / second try

KEY TERMS – define to receive full credit

·  Solenoid –

·  Electromagnet –

·  Magnetic Field -

·  Permanent Magnet -

QUESTIONS

1. What happened to the strength of the electromagnet when more turns of wire were used?

2. What happened to the strength of the electromagnet when more volts were used?

3. Is the electromagnet that you created in this lab a permanent magnet? Refer to the definition of permanent magnet to compare and receive full credit.

CONCLUSION – Write a paragraph concluding the results of your experiment and ensure to refer back to your hypothesis and key terms to receive full credit.