Building a simple DC motor
Every day, and everywhere we look, we see things that turn or revolve, for example, clocks, toys, food processors, and fans. All these things have one thing in common, they have an electric motor that makes it possible for these things to function. This experiment shows you how you can build a simple electric motor.
You will need:
- A size D battery
- Insulating tape
- Thick rubber band
- A magnet
- About a metre of thin insulated wire
- A pair of scissors or a set of pliers
- Two large metal paper clips
- Something round like a tube of paper glue
- Fine sand paper
And last but not least ... a helping hand from an adult.
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Method
An electric motor is made up of two parts, a magnet and an electro-magnet. First you need to build the electro-magnet which runs off battery power. For this you need the tube of glue and the wire. Take the wire and wind it round the tube of glue. Leave some centimetres from each end unwound.
When that is done, slide the wire off the tube and secure the coil by winding the ends round it twice so that the coil doesn’t unwind. When electricity passes through this coil, this becomes a magnet. The next step will be to find a way to fix this coil to the battery.
First you need to remove the insulation from the ends of the wire – using the scissors or pliers. Make sure you do not hurt yourself - ask an adult to help you at this stage. Now fold the naked ends back and twist them over each other to make them thicker.
Now you have to prepare the battery. Straighten out a couple of paper clips to make two hooks. Take a piece of fine sand paper and lightly sand the paper clips to remove any varnish, plastic or protective coating that they may have. Now take the rubber band and stretch it tightly around the battery. Place the paper clips between the rubber band and the battery. And finally hold everything in place with some insulation tape.
Now you have to prepare the battery. Straighten out a couple of paper clips to make two hooks. Take a piece of fine sand paper and lightly sand the paper clips to remove any varnish, plastic or protective coating that they may have. Now take the rubber band and stretch it tightly around the battery. Place the paper clips between the rubber band and the battery. And finally hold everything in place with some insulation tape.
Now it’s time to fix the magnet to the battery.
Note: the motor might not always start going immediately, for a number of reasons. When this happens, first check that the paper clips are touching the battery. Try giving the coil a nudge. If that still doesn’t solve the problem, try changing the position of the magnet, and try nudging the coil again.