dcmotorImagine you have two magnets. Glue one magnet on an imaginary record player (or a ‘lazy susan’ turntable) and hold the other magnet in your hand. What happens when you bring your hand close to the turntable magnet and bring the north sides together?


The magnet should repel and move, and since it’s on a turntable, it will circle out of the way. Now flip your hand over so you have the south facing the turntable. Notice how the turntable magnet is attracted to yours and rotates toward your hand. Just as it reaches your hand, flip it again to reveal the north side. Now the glued turntable magnet pushes away into another circle as you flip your magnet over again to attract it back to you. Imagine if you could time this well enough to get the turntable magnet to make a complete circle over and over again… that’s how a motor works!


This next activity mystifies even the most scientifically educated! Here’s what you need:


Materials:


  • magnet
  • magnet wire (26g works well)
  • D cell battery
  • two paper clips (try to find the ones shown in the video, or else bend your own with pliers)
  • sandpaper
  • fat rubber band
Please login or register to read the rest of this content.

Have a question ?

Tell us what you're thinking...

Comments

7 Responses to “Homemade DC Motor”

  1. My guess is that there was still spots where it wasn’t completely sanded off, or it would have just sat there getting hot. If the wire started to spin and “jumped” off the paperclips, that would have disconnected it as well, just like the insulated wire did. Great job experimenting with it! 🙂 Keep up the good work!

  2. Katie Wills says:

    Hi Aurora, We loved this one, and wanted to see what would happen if we sanded the wires all the way around. We found that it also spun around rapidly. Could you explain the difference between the one that was only sanded on three sides and the one that we completely sanded? Thanks!

  3. You should have a loop of it in the Electricity packet. Let me know if you don’t see it and we’ll send you another. Contact me directly at [email protected]!

  4. MaryBeth Eberhard says:

    Hi, Aurora… We have the Diamond kit and are looking for the materials for this experiment. I’ve found most everything except the 26g magnet wire. Is this included? Thanks!

  5. Carey Clark says:

    I made one like this and it looked almost the same but only spun
    for 7 seconds.

  6. Ok – I reloaded the video – try again? Sometimes trying a different computer or web browser can help, too. Let me know if you still have trouble. Happy experimenting! 🙂

  7. Meredith Hutter Chamorro says:

    Hi, Aurora. We are having trouble with the video for the homemade DC motor — it stops after the 5-minute mark.