How Do You Make A Small Electromagnet?
You can make a simple small electromagnet with a length of copper wire, a 10-penny nail, and a D battery. Wrapping insulated wire around a 3-inch nail creates a solenoid. When electricity is run through the solenoid, it creates a magnetic field. The more times you wrap the wire around the nail, the more powerful the magnetic field. Electromagnets differ from other magnets because you can turn them on and off. Electromagnets are magnetic only as long as the electricity is running through the wire. When you disconnect a wire from the battery, the electromagnet is turns off. Strip 1 inch of plastic coating off each end of the copper wire with wire strippers to expose the bare copper wire. Wrap the insulated copper wire around a (10-penny) 3-inch iron nail as many times as you can. Leave an 8-inch lead of copper wire at the end. Wrap the wire around the nail in one direction only, without overlapping the wire, to increase the magnetic field. Wrap the stripped ends of the wire around the ar
