Electric attraction
electricity science project
This electricity science project is not your ordinary
“Hey let's put some current through this and see if we can get a shocking reaction!”
No, this is a project about putting electricity to use. I am talking being a main attraction, the one with a magnetic personality. Starting to get the picture?
Let's do science...
The project – step by step
You know in those movies where the car chase ends up in a scrap yard and the one baddie climbs into that big crane with the round magnet dangling off the end? Yea, and then the car that the goodie is in is suddenly picked up by the dangling magnet and dropped into the crusher and the goodie gets out just in time! Know what I am talking about?
Well, never mind about the goodie - we know that he will always get out of sticky situations otherwise they couldn't make the sequel - but how can it be that the dangling magnet suddenly couldn't hold the car when it was over the crusher?
Well, the magnet was switched off! Yup, magnets can be switched off. How? This electricity science project will explain...
The Question
How can I use electricity to make a magnet?
The Hypothesis
There are two parts to this hypothesis:
By wrapping electricity carrying wires around a metal core, a magnetic field is set up by the wires that magnetizes the metal core.
Just as when you rub a magnet on a metal sewing needle (check out the experiment
Point me in the right direction, please!
) the metal core can keep it's magnetized state for a certain amount of time.
The Experiments
Coils and nails
Why this experiment?
In this experiment you are making your own electro-magnet. By succeeding in doing this, you will prove the first part of the hypothesis. By testing and using your electro-magnet, you will either prove or disprove the second part of the hypothesis – this is how you use the
scientific method
.
The Conclusion
By passing electricity through a coil of wires surrounding a metal core (the nail), the metal core can be magnetized. It is called an electro-magnet.
The conclusion for part two of the experiment? This one is up to you – by using the electro-magnet you will quickly be able to prove or disprove the hypothesis above.
Whatever the outcome, you need to report what you see and state whether your hypothesis is correct or not. If it is not, your electricity science project will not be complete without a rewritten hypothesis, based on your results.
(NOTE: check out Look it up for some helpful hints for this part of the conclusion.)
“Beef up your project” facts
Ever wondered how those super fast trains can “hover” on their rails? Yup, they use magnets that either push against each other or pull towards each other, depending on the design of the train. But why don't they “hover” when stopped. The answer – electro-magnets that can be switched on and off.
Look it up
To round off your electricity science project (or any science project for that matter), it is good practice to check evidence from other scientists experiments to see if their results are consistent with yours.
Here is your chance to do some surfing on the net or browsing in the non-fiction section of your library to see if your conclusion for the second part of your hypothesis is consistent with other's thoughts!
A little bit extra for you to look up – is the magnetism of the core metal (including whether it stays magnetic after the current is switched off)changed if a different metal is used. Let's say a softer metal is used ... is it different to the hard steel nail that you used in your experiment?
More...
Want more on electricity? Check out this
electricity science project
and make your own simple burglar alarm.
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