Science Fair Experiments that get good grades – Experiment #11 - Electromagnetism

Some of the more popular science fair experiments involve working with magnets in some way. In this project, I’m going to explain how to test the power of an electromagnet that is constructed from a wire coil. You will be able to make a direct relation to the number of times the wire coil is wound compared to the power of the strength of the magnetic field. 

As far as difficulty levels in science fair experiments, this project is average. You can expect to spend a few days on the experiment. Also, the materials should be readily available. If there is something you need to buy, it will be low in cost.  

Introduction

A magnetic field is created by an electric current flowing in a wire. The magnetic field around a straight field is not that strong. But, if you wrap the wire in a coil, the fields that are produced in each coil wrapping adds up to create a stronger magnetic field.  Do you know that you can use your own right hand to figure out the flow of the magnetic field? By simply holding your right hand in a way that your thumb is pointing toward the flow of the current, the rest of your fingers will wrap around naturally in the direction of the flow of the magnetic field.   

If you need to know the flow of magnetic current in a coiled wire, when your fingers are wrapped around the coil using your right hand, your thumb will point to the magnetic field’s north pole that the coil creates.

 Science fair experiments always require you to become acquainted with certain terms and concepts. Before you begin the project, you would benefit from knowing the following ideas: electromagnetic basics, the rule of the right hand. 

By the way, getting a free copy of Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects will help you through your own project.

Steps for the Experimental Procedure:

1. The first thing you will do is use your three pieces of iron material to make three individual electromagnet coils. Each one needs to have a different amount of coils. You might want to test 100, 300 and 400 coils. You will wrap your magnet wire firmly about your different pieces of iron material.

2. Using great care and your knife, strip the magnet wire of its insulation. You will know you’re far enough when you spot a coppery wire under the enamel insulator. Make sure you don’t cut through the wire though.

3. Get a small container to put the wire coil in and add your paper clips as well.

4. Keeping the wire coil at a parallel distance from the container, gather the paper clips. Begin battery flow through the coil by using the clip leads. Using the active magnet coil, place it in the tray with the paper clips and slowly pull it away from the container. Take the connected lead clips from the battery and allow the paper clips to drop off of the electromagnet. Now, gather the clips and count how many you were able to grab. Be sure to record this information in your notebook. Repeat this process several times, five should be enough, for each different electromagnet, keeping track of the number of coils versus the number of paper clips gathered.

5. Next, you will pick up the paper clips while holding the coil at a perpendicular angle to the battery. Again, connect wire with lead clips to your 6 volt battery. Keeping the coil perpendicular to your container of paper clips, lower it in so that they touch the iron material before moving away from your tray. After taking the lead clips off of the battery again, count the number of paper clips gathered and make a record of this amount.

6. Using a simple average equation, figure out how many paper clips were gathered by each level of coils.

7. Record this information in a graph.

Great science fair experiments always have variations. Something you can do for a variation on the experiment is to test a variety of different materials as your core metal. You can try steel, aluminum, or copper. If you are making comparisons, remember to keep everything else about the materials the same, like how much they weigh and their thickness.

To help you with your own project, take a look at some of the links next to this article. Good luck!

Materials needed for this experiment:  •    A battery for lanterns, 6 volts work best

•    magnet wire

•    alligator clip lead

•    a knife or tool to strip the magnet wire

•    masking tape

•    Paper clips

•    About 100 to 200 washers made of steel that measure about 1 cm

•    three of the same type of iron pieces to make up the core material; this could be nails made of iron, or bolts or even three bits of pipe made from iron