Electromagnet
Class 7 Science: electric current and its effects (electromagnet)
Wind wire round a nail and switch on. How many pins can you pick up? What makes it stronger?
Words to know
- Electromagnet
- A magnet made by passing current through a coil of wire.
- Coil
- Wire wound round and round in loops.
- Core
- The iron inside the coil that makes it much stronger.
- Current
- The flow of electricity through a wire.
Quick check
Answer 3 questions to check what you learned.
Try at home
With an adult: wind 20 turns of thin insulated wire round an iron nail, touch the ends to a 1.5 V cell for a few seconds and pick up pins. Disconnect quickly so the cell doesn't heat up.