Electromagnets: Winding Things Up

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.

Sensors and Equipment

This experiment features the following Vernier sensors and equipment.

Option 1

Option 2

Additional Requirements

You may also need an interface and software for data collection. What do I need for data collection?