Introduction

A magnetic field forms around a wire that has an electric current in it. Winding a wire around a piece of iron increases the strength of the magnetic field. A temporary magnet made in this way is called an electromagnet. In this experiment, you will use a computer-interfaced Magnetic Field Sensor to study the relationship between number of wire winds and magnetic field strength of an electromagnet.

Objectives

In this experiment, you will

  • Build an electromagnet.
  • Measure magnetic field strength.
  • Graph the results.
  • Make conclusions about the relationship between number of wire winds and magnetic field strength.