Motor Lab-Electricity and Magnetism
Academy Physics Semester Project
Background:
Like most types of forces, there are a variety of factors that influence the magnitude of the electrical force. Two like-charged balloons will repel each other and the strength of their repulsive force can be altered by changing three variables. First, the quantity of charge on one of the balloons will affect the strength of the repulsive force. The more charged a balloon is, the greater the repulsive force. Second, the quantity of charge on the second balloon will affect the strength of the repulsive force. Gently rub two balloons with animal fur and they repel a little. Rub the two balloons vigorously to impart more charge to both of them, and they repel a lot. Finally, the distance between the two balloons will have a significant and noticeable effect upon the repulsive force. The electrical force is strongest when the balloons are closest together. Decreasing the separation distance increases the force.
Relationship Between Electric and Magnetic Field in a Motor
Electric motors involve rotating coils of wire which are driven by the magnetic force exerted by a magnetic field on an electric current. They transform electrical energy into mechanical energy.
Motor:
The picture to the right are the materials I used to create my motor. I used one drywall screw, one battery cell, a few inches of copper wire, and a neodymium disk magnet. I then proceed to create my motor and attached the disk magnet to the head of the screw and then attached the end of the screw to the positive side of the battery cell. After those steps I attach one end of the copper wire to the negative end of the battery cell and then the other end to the side of the magnet. The magnet and screw start to spin immediately. From the research I have done, the motor can get up to 10,000 RPM in about 15 seconds.