In #MESExperiments 41 I demonstrate a simple homopolar motor using just some tape, a 1.5-volt battery, a copper wire, a steel screw, and a magnet. When the magnet is attached to the screw, it magnetizes the screw, allowing it to stick to the battery. Closing the circuit by making contact between the magnet or the bottom of the screw and the battery causes the screw to rotate rapidly. This experiment effectively demonstrates how a basic electromagnetic circuit can generate rapid physical rotation, functioning as a simple motor.
I also illustrate how a magnetic compass behaves near a magnet and a wire in an electric circuit. The compass needle deflects away from the magnet's North Pole and towards the South Pole of the magnet. Note that a compass determines geographic North, which is actually Earth's magnetic South Pole. In an electric circuit, the compass needle deflects perpendicular to the wire.
Additionally, I include information on the direction of current, the direction of electron flow (opposite to current), and the polarity of the magnetized screw. The corresponding spin directions are as follows:
Clockwise spin: North Pole upwards, current flowing downwards, electron flow upwards.
Counterclockwise spin: North Pole downwards, current flowing downwards, electron flow upwards.
Stay tuned for #MESExperiments 42...
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For reference here are screenshots of the experiment.
