Science
Science Coursework: How does the number of coils on an
electromagnet affect its strength?
Aim: - To establish whether a variation in the number of coils will affect an electromagnet's strength.
Scientific Knowledge: -
An iron core wrapped in a series of coils of insulated wire and then connected to a battery, will enable the core to pick up paper clips. This is because the current emitted from the battery to the coils magnetises the nail. This is known as an electromagnet. The current passing through an electromagnet produces a magnetic field. Therefore, the more turns of the coil you have, the greater the magnetic field and the stronger the electromagnet. This will mean more paper clips being picked up by the nail. The strength of an electromagnet can also be altered by varying the current or voltage. The more induced voltage, the stronger the electromagnet. An alternative way to strengthen an electromagnet is to replace the core with a "soft" iron core.
Prediction: -
An increase in the number of coils applied to the iron nail will cause an increase in the number of paperclips being picked up. (a positive correlation between the two variables)
This prediction derived from the scientific knowledge above -
'Therefore, the more turns of the coil you have, the greater the magnetic field and the stronger the electromagnet.'
Apparatus: -
Iron nail (1)
Paperclips (several)
Power supply (1)
Coil (1)
Method: -
The method was relatively systematic. We first allocated various people amongst our group to collect different equipment such as the iron nail, paperclips, coil and power supply. Following that, we connected everything securely and wrapped the coil five times around the nail. We then...
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