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Science project, how to make a simple electric motor.
Energy comes in many forms. Electric energy can be converted into useful work, or mechanical energy, by machines called electric motors. Electric motors work due to electromagnetic interactions : the interaction of current (the flow of electrons) and a magnetic field .
Find out how to make a simple electric motor.
- Insulated 22G wire
- 2 large-eyed, long, metal sewing needles (the eyes must be large enough to fit the wire through)
- Modeling clay
- Electrical tape
- Hobby knife
- Small circular magnet
- Thin marker
- Starting in the center of the wire, wrap the wire tightly and neatly around the marker 30 times.
- Slide the coil you made off of the marker.
- Wrap each loose end of the wire around the coil a few times to hold it together, then point the wires away from the loop, as shown:
What is this? What is its purpose?
- Ask an adult to use the hobby knife to help you remove the top-half of the wire insulation on each free end of the coil. The exposed wire should be facing the same direction on both sides. Why do you think half of the wire needs to remain insulated?
- Thread each loose end of the wire coil through the large eye of a needle. Try to keep the coil as straight as possible without bending the wire ends.
- Lay the D battery sideways on a flat surface.
- Stick some modeling clay on either side of the battery so it does not roll away.
- Take 2 small balls of modeling clay and cover the sharp ends of the needle.
- Place the needles upright next to the terminals of each battery so that the side of each needle touches one terminal of the battery.
- Use electrical tape to secure the needles to the ends of the battery. Your coil should be hanging above the battery.
- Tape the small magnet to the side of the battery so that it is centered underneath the coil.
- Give your coil a spin. What happens? What happens when you spin the coil in the other direction? What would happen with a bigger magnet? A bigger battery? Thicker wire?
The motor will continue to spin when pushed in the right direction. The motor will not spin when the initial push is in the opposite direction.
The metal, needles, and wire created a closed loop circuit that can carry current. Current flows from the negative terminal of the battery, through the circuit, and to the positive terminal of the battery. Current in a closed loop also creates its own magnetic field , which you can determine by the “Right Hand Rule.” Making a “thumbs up” sign with your right hand, the thumb points in the direction of the current, and the curve of the fingers show which way the magnetic field is oriented.
In our case, current travels through the coil you created, which is called the armature of the motor. This current induces a magnetic field in the coil, which helps explain why the coil spins.
Magnets have two poles, north and south. North-south interactions stick together, and north-north and south-south interactions repel each other. Because the magnetic field created by the current in the wire is not perpendicular to the magnet taped to the battery, at least some part of the wire’s magnetic field will repel and cause the coil to continue to spin.
So why did we need to remove the insulation from only one side of each wire? We need a way to periodically break the circuit so that it pulses on and off in time with the rotation of the coil. Otherwise, the copper coil’s magnetic field would align with the magnet’s magnetic field and stop moving because both fields would attract each other. The way we set up our engine makes it so that whenever current is moving through the coil (giving it a magnetic field), the coil is in a good position to be repelled by the stationary magnet’s magnetic field. Whenever the coil isn’t being actively repelled (during those split second intervals where the circuit is switched off), momentum carries it around until it’s in the right position to complete the circuit, induce a new magnetic field, and be repelled by the stationary magnet again.
Once moving, the coil can continue to spin until the battery is dead. The reason that the magnet only spins in one direction is because spinning in the wrong direction will not cause the magnetic fields to repel each other, but attract.
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Simple motor, share this:.
This experiment will show students how to build a simple electric motor. This is best for students twelve and older as it requires some delicate work.
- Download PDF version
For each motor you'll need one C battery, a small but strong magnet, about three feet of magnet wire (buy it at Radio Shack, online, or any hardware store), two safety pins, a rubber band, sticky putty, and a small piece of sandpaper. Magnet wire has a plastic coating.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Wrap the wire around a circular object (like the battery, or better yet, a pen or pencil) and then slide it off to create a small coil (diameter ~1 cm), leaving the two ends sticking out as shown in Figures 1 and 2. We next need to remove the insulation from part of the ends. On one end, sand off the coating all the way around the wire. On the other end, sand the bottom side of the wire only.
Next, assemble the motor as shown in Figure 3. The safety pins are attached to the battery with the rubber band and the wire coil ends go through the holes in the ends of the safety pins. Here, we used a little sticky putty to hold the battery still on the table. Put the magnet on top of the battery, under the coil. Give your coil a little spin, and it should continue to spin on its own. (If it doesn't work, try spinning it the opposite direction.) You've made a motor!
EXPLANATION:
When electricity is passed through a wire coil (as you are doing when you connect the coil to the battery), you create an electromagnetic field, which pushes the coil away from the magnet. 1,2 When you give the coil a spin, since one side of the wire is insulated, you break the circuit briefly, so the coil continues to rotate using its momentum. When the circuit is complete again, the magnetic field once again repels the coil, so it keeps spinning. The motor can continue to spin until the battery is dead!
An electrical current through any conductor creates a magnetic field. This was discovered (some say by accident) by Hans Christian Oersted in 1820 when he noticed a nearby compass needle was deflected when he turned on his electrical equipment. You can see the same effect with your coil circuit and a compass. 1,2
Wrapping the wire into a coil increases the strength of the magnetic field, so long as the moment of inertia remains small.
The principles that allow this motor to work are the same ones that govern all motors. These motors all turn electromagnetic energy into kinetic energy. Generators work the opposite way, by turning kinetic energy into electromagnetic energy (and in fact, you can turn motors into generators and vice versa, although sometimes it takes a little work).
COMMON QUESTIONS TO EXPECT:
Why isn't it working? This relatively simple motor can take some patience. The answer to this most common question could be a number of issues. Try some troubleshooting:
Make sure your safety pins have good contact with the battery terminals.
- Make sure you didn't sand off too much of the wire insulation—one end needs to have enough insulation on one side that the circuit is broken as the coil spins.
- If the coil is leaning too far to one side, you may need to rewrap it so it's more symmetrical.
- Try spinning the coil the other direction.
LEARN MORE:
Instructions for building an even simpler motor using a battery, a magnet, wire, and a drywall screw can be found here. Watch out with this one, and use eye protection as the screw could go flying. http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2006/how-to-make-the-simplest-electric-motor/ Instructions for building a more advanced motor that doesn't require a push to get started can be found in The Physics Teacher, the journal from AAPT, “Development of a New Method for Assembling a Bipolar DC Motor as a Teaching Material.” https://aapt.scitation.org/doi/10.1119/1.4981037
- R. P. Feynman, R. B. Leighton, and L. L. Sands, The Feynman Lectures, vol. 1 (Addison-Wesley, 1963-1965), chapter 16.
- R. D. Knight, B. Jones, and S. Field, College Physics, 3rd ed. (Pearson, San Francisco, CA, 2014).
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Build a Simple Motor + Video
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See for yourself how the forces of electricity and magnetism can work together by building a simple DC electric motor using simple materials you can find in any hardware store!
Electricity and magnetism are both forces caused by the movement of tiny charged particles that make up atoms, the building blocks of all matter. When a wire is hooked up to a battery, current flows through the wire because negatively charged electrons flow from the negative terminal of the battery toward the positive terminal of the battery because opposite charges attract each other, while similar charges repel each other. This flow of electrons through the wire is an electric current, and it produces a magnetic field.
In a magnet, atoms are lined up so that the negatively charged electrons are all spinning in the same direction. Like an electric current, the movement of the electrons creates a magnetic force. The area around the magnet where the force is active is called a magnetic field. Metal objects and other magnets that enter this field will be pulled toward the magnet.
The way the atoms are lined up creates two different poles in the magnet, a north pole and a south pole. As with electrical charges, opposite poles attract each other, while like poles repel each other.
Learn about electromagnetism and its many uses here .
Now let's watch it work as we build a motor. (Note: This science project requires adult supervision.)
What You Need to Make a DIY Motor with Magnets
- Insulated copper wire or magnet wire
- Black permanent marker (such as a Sharpie)
- Small neodymium disc magnets
- D-cell battery
- Battery holder (sticky tack or modeling clay can be used instead)
- Large rubber band (not needed if using a battery holder)
- 2 large paperclips
- Pen or pencil
How to Build a Simple Electric Motor
- To make a bundle, wrap the ends of the wire several times around the loops to hold them in place. Position the ends so they are directly across from each other and extending out in a straight line on either side of the bundle, to form an axle. What you just made is called the armature .
- Hold the wire bundle you have made so that it would be flat against a wall, rather than a table, and color the top side of each wire end using the marker. Leave the bottom side of each wire bare.
- Carefully bend each paperclip, forming a small loop by wrapping one end around a small object such as a pencil or pen. Thick wire and pliers may be used instead of a paper clip if you want. Be sure to use caution when using the pliers.
- If you are using a battery holder, attach a paper clip to either side and insert the battery. If you don’t have a battery holder, wrap the rubber band tightly around the length of the battery. Insert the paper clips so each one is touching one of the terminals, and they are securely held by the rubber band. Attach the curved side of the battery firmly to a table or other flat surface using clay or sticky tack.
- Set one neodymium magnet on top of the battery, in the center. Position the armature in the paper clip loops, with the shiny, uncolored side touching the paper clips. Make sure it doesn’t touch the magnet.
- If your motor doesn’t start immediately, try giving it a start by spinning the wire bundle. Since the motor will only spin in one direction, try spinning it both ways.
- If your motor still is not working, make sure that the paper clips are securely attached to the battery terminals. You may also need to adjust the insulated wire so both ends are straight, and the bundle you have made is neat, with the wire ends directly opposite of each other.
- With the motor spinning, hold up the other magnet, above the armature. As you move it closer, what happens? Turn the magnet over and try again to see what happens.
What Happened:
The armature is a temporary magnet, getting its force from the electrical current in the battery. The neodymium magnet is permanent, meaning that it will always have two poles, and cannot lose its force.
These two forces – electricity and magnetism – work together to spin the motor. The poles of the permanent magnet repel the poles of the temporary magnet, causing the armature to rotate one-half turn. After a half-turn, the insulated side of the wire (the part you colored with a permanent marker) contacts the paper clips, stopping the electric current. The force of gravity finishes the turn of the armature until the bare side is touching again and the process starts over.
The motor you created uses direct current, or DC, to rotate the armature. The magnetic force is only able to flow in one direction, so the motor spins in only one direction. AC, or alternating current, uses the same principle of electron flow, but the pole is rotating rather than in one place. AC motors are often more complex than DC motors, like the simple one you were able to make. Unlike a fixed DC motor, AC motors can switch the direction of rotation.
(The DC motor you made is only able to spin in one direction because its direction is determined by the poles of the permanent magnet. If you turn the magnet over, so the other pole is facing up, it will change the direction the motor spins.)
When you held the second magnet over the top of the armature, it either stopped or made the motor rotate more rapidly. If it stopped, it’s because the pole was in the opposite direction of the first magnet, in a sense canceling out the rotation of the armature. If it moves faster, the same poles of the first and second magnets, which repel each other, work to spin the armature more quickly than with only one magnet.
Building Bigger, Faster Motors
Experiment with batteries of higher voltage, as well as more powerful magnets. You can also try using ceramic magnets. One design we found worked well was to set the armature over 4 ceramic ring magnets and connect the supporting paperclips to a 6V battery.
You can also try increasing the size of the armature, and how many coils there are, to make a stronger electromagnet. When using batteries of higher voltage, and bare wires, be very careful. The circuit can emit enough heat to cause a burn if the wire is held too long.
More Electricity Science Projects:
These experiments are perfect for science fair projects or to continue learning about electricity and magnetism at home.
- Electromagnetism Experiments
- Electricity Experiments (including making a homemade battery!)
- Make a Light Bulb
Motors, Motors, Everywhere!
Without motors, your house would be without electricity! AC motors are essential for power plant generators that supply us with electricity.
Many small motors can be found in cars for power windows, heating, cooling fans, and windshield wipers. Motors can also be found all around the house, especially for slow-moving, high-torque functions .
Kitchen appliances like blenders and mixers turn electricity into mechanical energy by using electric motors. Most washer and dryer machines use an AC motor to be able to spin in either direction. Small DC motors can be found in DVD or CD players, and the disk drive of a computer. The vibrator in your cell phone also works because of a tiny DC motor.
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Simple Electric Motor Project: Materials & Instructions
Last Updated: October 25, 2022 Approved
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 21 testimonials and 89% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,187,483 times. Learn more...
Electric motors power all kinds of things you probably use every day, like your fridge, washing machine, and even electric toothbrush. Building your own simple electric motor is actually really easy. To help you out, we've put together a step-by-step guide to making a basic electric motor that includes everything you'll need to get started.
Winding the Coil
Connecting the Battery
- Be sure the needles are pointing with the sharp end down toward the battery and the eye at the top holding the coil.
- Do not let either needle touch both sides of the battery.
- Once both leads are connected, there will be an electric current running through the needles and the wire. It is best to use rubber or insulated gloves for this step.
Introducing the Magnet
Community Q&A
- This setup works better on flat surfaces Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1
- For high speed stability, you can make an oval shaped motor. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 1
- If this is your first electrical project you might need help cutting the wire correctly. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 1
Tips from our Readers
- For a faster spinning motor, connect a big gear to the coil and add another axle. Make sure a small gear is connected to the axle so the bigger gear can increase its speed.
- Use a stronger magnet like neodymium, more wire, and a higher voltage battery to increase your motor's speed.
- For kids, always make sure an adult is nearby when working on projects requiring power.
- Always remember to put masking tape on the wire to avoid an electrical shock.
- You can also use cardboard if you don't have a cup on hand.
- If you use a thin wire and a strong current, your wires can get extremely hot! Thanks Helpful 30 Not Helpful 12
- If a child is doing the project, make sure to provide the necessary adult supervision to avoid any accidents. Thanks Helpful 28 Not Helpful 12
Things You'll Need
- Insulated Copper Wire
- Wire Strippers
- Electrical Tape
- Two Needles
- Battery—AA to a D battery would work for this project
You Might Also Like
- ↑ http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Elec_p051.shtml#procedure
- ↑ http://www.education.com/science-fair/article/no-frills-motor/
- ↑ https://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/untitled_key5.jpg
- ↑ https://www.wired.com/2016/01/how-to-build-a-super-simple-electric-motor-out-of-stuff-you-already-have/
About This Article
To begin building a simple electric motor, make a coil by wrapping insulated copper wire around something hard, like a few pencils. Then, use wire strippers to remove the insulation on each end of the wire. Lay a battery on its side and tape it to a flat surface, then slide each stripped end of wire through the eye of a needle and tape the needles to the positive and negative sides of the battery. Tape a magnet to the battery underneath the coil, spin the coil, and voila! To learn how to experiment with different magnets, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No
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Video transcript
NOTIFICATIONS
Make an electric motor.
- + Create new collection
Three historic discoveries were instrumental in the development of electric motors – the invention of the battery by Alessandro Volta in 1800, the generation of a magnetic field from electric current by Hans Christian Ørsted in 1820 and the invention of the electromagnet by William Sturgeon in 1825. These discoveries were critical for the development of building working electric motors.
Electricity and magnetism are forces caused by the movement of electrons. Electrons are negatively charged particles in atoms that can move through conductors such as copper wire when the wire is connected in a circuit from one battery terminal to the other. The negatively charged electrons in the wire move away from the negative terminal of the battery towards the positive terminal. The movement of electrons through a conductor is called an electric current.
A magnet is formed when atoms of certain materials are lined up so that the negatively charged electrons all spin in the same direction. The magnetic field is the area around the magnet where the force is active. Stronger magnets have larger magnetic fields. A magnet can be created by electricity. Wrapping a wire around metal and running an electric current through it creates a magnetic force. This is called electromagnetism.
This activity will demonstrate electromagnetism operating in a basic electric motor that students build. It can be approached from a science perspective or a technology perspective.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
- understand how a simple electrical motor works
- construct a simple electrical motor
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
- introduction/background notes
- what you need
- extension ideas
- student handout.
Electric cars have been around a lot longer than you may think. Have a look at the Electric car history timeline and a Participatory Science Platform (PSP) project in Taranaki called REV it UP , where students are building an electric vehicle.
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Scientific discoveries often contribute to the development of new technologies, while new technologies often enable new scientific discoveries to be made.
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An electric motor uses the attracting and repelling properties of magnets to create motion. An electric motor contains two magnets; in this science project, you will use a permanent magnet (also called a fixed or static magnet) and a temporary magnet. The temporary magnet is also called an electromagnet.A permanent magnet is surrounded by a magnetic field (a north pole and a south pole) all ...
Build a simple electric motor with just a battery, magnet, paper clips, and coil of wire in this fun science experiment! Written instructions are available o...
Cut a piece of wire. Bend one end of it into a hook and the other end into a loop (as shown on the left below). You can also try more advanced shapes like a heart or a spiral. The goal is to have one end of the wire balance on the tip of the battery, while the other end touches the side of the magnet.
Experiment with Motors and Generators Science Projects. (8 results) Discover how motors work and build your own with circuits, magnets, or even ocean power. Experiment with ways to increase the electricity (or even speed!) your motor generates. Build a Simple Electric Motor! When you think of a motor, you may immediately think of a car, but you ...
Thread each loose end of the wire coil through the large eye of a needle. Try to keep the coil as straight as possible without bending the wire ends. Lay the D battery sideways on a flat surface. Stick some modeling clay on either side of the battery so it does not roll away. Take 2 small balls of modeling clay and cover the sharp ends of the ...
The principles that allow this motor to work are the same ones that govern all motors. These motors all turn electromagnetic energy into kinetic energy. Generators work the opposite way, by turning kinetic energy into electromagnetic energy (and in fact, you can turn motors into generators and vice versa, although sometimes it takes a little work).
Position the armature in the paper clip loops, with the shiny, uncolored side touching the paper clips. Make sure it doesn't touch the magnet. If your motor doesn't start immediately, try giving it a start by spinning the wire bundle. Since the motor will only spin in one direction, try spinning it both ways.
1. Bring a magnet close to the coil. Once a current is flowing through the coil, it can interact with a magnet. Either hold the magnet close to the coil, or tape it to the battery right underneath the coil. The closer the magnet is to the coil the stronger it will interact. [8] 2.
The wire used by Karl in this video (magnet wire) has an enamel coating that serves as an insulator. This prevents the wires in the loop from shorting to each other. Also, for this motor there is a trick at. 4:20. Karl states that you must strip the insulation from 1/2 of the wire.
This is called electromagnetism. This activity will demonstrate electromagnetism operating in a basic electric motor that students build. It can be approached from a science perspective or a technology perspective. By the end of this activity, students should be able to: Electric cars have been around a lot longer than you may think.
It's difficult to picture our modern world without electric energy. But do you know how to convert electricity into motion? It's actually quite simple! Let's...
Instructions and materials for each of these easy motor demonstrations are available on the Science Buddies website:1. Homopolar motor (version 1): https://w...
This type of electric motor is called a homopolar motor, because the direction of the current is always the same. This type of electric motor was the very first to be designed, by the Englishman Michael Faraday in 1821. Experiment You can turn this demonstration into an experiment. This will make it a better science project. To do that, try ...
An electric motor is a device that uses electrical energy to produce kinetic energy. In a toy car, for example, the electrical energy in the battery is converted into the kinetic energy that spins the wheels and makes the car move forward. Electric motors work by taking advantage of the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying ...
Making a simple electric motor is an educational activity that may also be tried as school project or science project. With this project students can learn and demonstrate conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy. ... This special design of DC motor is well fitted for school projects. Materials include: 1. Battery Holder: 2. Ceramic ...
Make your own simple electric motor with 20 gauge magnet wire, a D battery, a neodymium magnet, some clay, and a couple of paper clips. top of page BEARDED SCIENCE GUY
This site features new ideas for easy-to-build simple electric motors originally designed by Stan Pozmantir for his grand prize winning science fair project. On this site you will find: Real brushless DC motors based on different physics principles - fast, powerful, and great for science experiments. Detailed step-by-step assembly ...
Take an electric tape and paste the safety pins on both sides of the terminals. Take insulated wires and wrap them multiple times. Take two loose ends of the wires and cut the extreme ends to remove insulation. Place the exposed insulation-free wires inside the eyes of the safety pins. Give a little nudge before it starts spinning.
Learn how to make your very own electric motor with items around your house! For a detailed description of how and what is going on here, visit us at www.Sci...
Ever wondered how to make an electric motor at home? In today's video, we're diving into the world of science with a hands-on project perfect for kids and cu...
These 7 electric motor activities for kids encourage children to ask questions about electricity and magnetism, collect data, analyze, and share their findings. The Motor Effect from the Exploratorium. Motorized coloring robot from Crystal and Company. Simple mini-motor from the Exploratorium. Simple electric motor from education.com.
5. Use a Reed Switch. In the Build a Reed Switch Motor project, students build a simple direct current (DC) motor using an electromagnet and a reed switch and then experiment to explore the effect of voltage on motor speed. The voltage in a DC motor doesn't alternate with time (the way alternating current (AC) does).
DIY Electric Motor | How Does it Work? | Science ProjectHow to Make a Simple Electric Motor What is and electric motor? An electric motor is an electrical m...