Science News

This term in science, we’ve been learning all about Energy and Climate, including the concept of induced electromagnetism and generators.

This week, we got to put some theory into action by building our very own mini electric motors!

It was exciting to see the theory come to life. We discovered that when an electric current flows through a wire, it creates a magnetic field. 

When this wire is placed near a strong permanent magnet, the two magnetic fields interact. This interaction creates a force, which actually pushes the wire and makes it move! Even though the wire itself isn’t magnetic, as long as it conducts electricity, it works. With just some copper wire, a battery, and a magnet, we built simple motors that started to spin!

We also learned that this process is basically the opposite of how a generator works. In a generator, movement in a magnetic field creates electricity. But in a motor, electricity and a magnet create movement.

By Neil Meyer - Year 9