Electric Motor
Class 10 Science: magnetic effects of electric current (electric motor)
A coil carrying current sits between a north and a south pole. Switch it on, turn up the current, reverse it, and find out why the coil keeps turning the same way.
Words to know
- Electric motor
- A device that turns electrical energy into motion (mechanical energy).
- Coil (armature)
- Turns of insulated copper wire that spin between the magnet's poles.
- Split-ring commutator
- Two half rings on the axle that reverse the current in the coil every half turn.
- Brushes
- Carbon contacts that press on the split ring and carry current in and out of the coil.
- Fleming's left-hand rule
- Field, current and force on the wire are at right angles, like your first finger, second finger and thumb.
Quick check
Answer 3 questions to check what you learned.
Try at home
Look inside an old toy car or a battery fan with an adult (battery out). Find the small motor and the magnets. Connect it to a cell and swap the cell around: which way does it spin now?