Motor

Function of each material:

• Loop of Copper wire: Conductor and turbine
• Battery: Provides current flow that allows the magnetic force to influence the wire loop.
• Magnet: provides a magnetic field and therefore a force on the current running through the wire, causing it to spin from the torque applied to the loop.
• Paper clips: hold up the motor coil and allow the current to flow from the battery to the coil.
• Rubber bands/electrical tape: holds the motor together
• Wooden Block: acts as a support for the motor

Why we scraped the armature in a specific way:

We needed the motor to be spinning in a constant direction for it to work, instead of a back-and-forth motion. In order to accomplish this, we had to scrape the wire. We needed the current to flow only when the loop was oriented in a specific way, and not the other. In order to make the motor run properly, we needed the current to flow while the loop was turning in one direction. This would need to happen without causing the loop to turn in the other direction because this would be counter productive.

Why the motor runs:

The motor was able to turn because of the magnetic pull created by the magnet. All magnetism is caused by moving charges. Because of this, in a magnetic field, moving charges are affected by the magnetic force; if the charges are moving perpendicularly to the field, the force is even greater. Therefore, since the motor coil is oriented perpendicularly to the magnet (the coil must be vertical), the magnetic force acting on the charges moving through it is even greater, and the force (which has an upward direction) also acts on the coil itself. Since the sides of the wire are pushed in opposite directions, the wire rotates. When the wire flips and the current is still going in different directions, the magnetic field continues to act on it unless affected by an outside force.

What the motor can be used for:

Unfortunately this motor cannot be used for anything, for it only has enough force to overcome its own friction.  This can however, potentially be used to:

• Entertain your friends
• Impress your physics teacher (**hint**)
• Look cool