magnets can fall into three categories: permanent, temporary and electromagnet. Theoretically, permanent magnets maintaintheir magnetism forever while temporary magnets are not really magnets at all but can present magnetic behavior when in the presence of a strong magnetic field. Electromagnets, which we can thank Oersted for, produce magnetism only when in the presence of an electric current.Electromagnets are present in almost every piece of technology today, so to say they are important could be an understatement. A great way to teach about the importance of electromagnetism and how it occurs is by building your own simple electromagnet. Here’s how:
Supplies
*.Nail
*.Battery
*.Insulated wire
*.Paperclip
*.TapeSteps
1.Take your nail and wire and firmly coil the wire around the nail, leaving two straight pieces of wire at each end.
2.Place the battery beside the wire coil and nail.
3.Align each end of the wire to the battery. Touch one piece to the negative side and another to the positive.
4.Tape the ends of the wire to the battery ends with some tape and wait for a few seconds.
5.Test the strength of yourelectromagnet with a paperclip. You’ll see thatthe paperclip is attractedto the coiled nail.