Build-it-Yourself Motor

Recently in physics class, we all undertook the task of assembling a simple motor.  An Electric Motor is defined as an object that utilizes both magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate a force.  To assemble the motor, I needed the following objects:

• Battery- The purpose of the battery is to provide the electric energy for the rest of the system.
• Magnet- The purpose of the magnet is to create a magnetic field around the system which can interact with the current-carrying conductors.
• Copper Wire- The purpose of the copper wire is (when shaved properly*) to feel the magnetic force and move properly.
• Paperclips- The purpose of the paper clips is to suspend the copper wire above the battery and the magnet, and also to carry the current to the wire.
• Rubber Band- The purpose of the rubber band is simply to bind the paper clips to the battery.

Here is a picture of a make it yourself motor with a similar design to ours.  The only difference is that alligator clips were used to supply energy instead of our battery:

*Before the motor would work, the copper wire had to be scraped.  It was scraped on the bottom of both sides of the wire.  This made it easier for the wire to feel the torque of the magnet.  When the wire felt this force, the current flowed through the wire, and it turned.  It was very important for us to scrape the wire properly, because if we scraped it on the top and bottom, the wire would want to turn in different directions and it would not move straight constantly.

This simple concept can be used in large scale in cars, lawn mowers, fans, and blenders.  If you were to open up one of these appliances, you would see a huge coil of copper wire, and a magnet.  When applied to a larger scale, this design can be used to generate alot of mechanical power.

Here is a video of my motor at work!