8.3 Electromagnets

Question 1

Explain the relation between electricity and magnetism.

Answer 1

Electricity and magnetism are the flip sides of a coin. If there is the presence of a magnetic field, there will be flowing current and vice-versa.

Question 2

What is an electromagnet?

Answer 2

An electromagnet can be defined as a magnet which functions on electricity. You can switch it on and off by controlling the current.

Question 3

How do we make electromagnets?

Answer 3

1. We need a battery, copper wire and an iron nail.
2. The copper wire should be coiled around the nail as many times as possible.
3. Then we connect both ends of the wire to the battery, to form a circuit.
4. The current in the wire, which is coiled around the nail, which make all the domains in the nail, align in the same directions, forming a electromagnet.

Question 4

What are the factors affecting the strength of an electromagnet?

Answer 4

1. The greater the current, the greeter the strength of the electromagnet.
2. Greater the number of coils, the more domains aligned, the stronger the magnet.

Question 5

What are the properties of the field around a single wire?

Answer 5

1. The magnetic field lines around a single piece of wire are circles.
2. The magnetic field gets weaker as you get further away from the wire.

Question 6

How do loops and coils make an electromagnet stronger?

Answer 6

A coiled cylinder is formed from multiple wire loops, producing a magnetic field that resembles a bar magnet’s field. A switch is needed to control the coil’s operation. An electromagnet is a coil wound onto a core of magnetic material, typically iron, which is magnetized by the coil’s magnetic field, making it stronger. The coil’s coiling concentrates the magnetic field inside the loops, increasing the strength.