Uploaded January 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
How can you make a simple electromagnet at home?
Equipment: iron nail, copper wire, battery cell, clamps, paper clips, needles, spoon.
Wind a copper wire around an iron nail and strip its ends of its insulating copper(II) oxide layer. Use clamps to connect the wire to a battery cell. Observe as the copper-bound nail begins to attract needles, paper clips, and spoons!
An electromagnet is a magnet, the magnetic properties of which appear only when an electric current passes through it. It consists of a winding through which current flows and a ferromagnetic core. In our case, the nail acts as the core of the electromagnet; it strengthens the magnet and acquires the magnetic properties. As soon as the current begins to flow through the winding, a magnetic field appears and the magnet is ready for use. The magnetic field that appears attracts objects that contain iron, such as a spoon or paper clip! Such magnets are used in MRI devices, hard drives, speakers, headphones, and much more.
Check out MEL Science for more safe and exciting experiments!
Safety precautions: Warning! Only under adult supervision.
How can you make a simple electromagnet at home?
Equipment: iron nail, copper wire, battery cell, clamps, paper clips, needles, spoon.
Wind a copper wire around an iron nail and strip its ends of its insulating copper(II) oxide layer. Use clamps to connect the wire to a battery cell. Observe as the copper-bound nail begins to attract needles, paper clips, and spoons!
An electromagnet is a magnet, the magnetic properties of which appear only when an electric current passes through it. It consists of a winding through which current flows and a ferromagnetic core. In our case, the nail acts as the core of the electromagnet; it strengthens the magnet and acquires the magnetic properties. As soon as the current begins to flow through the winding, a magnetic field appears and the magnet is ready for use. The magnetic field that appears attracts objects that contain iron, such as a spoon or paper clip! Such magnets are used in MRI devices, hard drives, speakers, headphones, and much more.
Check out MEL Science for more safe and exciting experiments!
Safety precautions: Warning! Only under adult supervision.
