Physics Blog

Preview Mode To Be Used On Every Slide  The Creation of a Electro-Magnetic Motor The creation of my motor showed many stages of development. I believe these stages to reflect the amount of knowledge I had on the practicalities of creating a motor. But before getting into the electric motor, we must learn its background the first rotating device driven by electromagnetism (electric motor) was constructed by the Englishman Peter Barlow in 1822 (Barlow's Wheel) . The first practical application of an electric motor was created in 1835 by two Dutchmen named Sibrandus Stratingh and Christopher Becker, near the birth of electricity. The first known application of the motor, was for a small model car in 1837. The electric motor today, is used in many home products. Cameras for there shudders, fans to create motion and new, climate saving cars use electric motors to create motion. the creation of electric motors seems so complex and deep so the question stands, is it possible to create a

 After a long period of stagnation I came back to the motor project with fresh eyes. A new out look on how the motor should be made. I wanted a sturdier frame so I didn't have do deal with movement that came from minuscule lapses in movement that would completely destroy Mark 1 and Mark 2. Mark 3 of the motors was a complete over haul of my initial plan for the motor this was due to my study on theoretical ideals of the motor, particularly the equation F = I*l*B. Increasing the length of my coils would inevitably increase the force, I also decided to change my magnets to stronger ones that would create a stronger magnetic field, and I changed the power source I was using and the amount of coils to increase the amount of current. All of these changes were done to create a stronger force The new motor was a new prong design. The 2 prongs were connected to the axel in order for the force to be forced side ways with the magnetic field.  At the time i believed the issue to be that the

<-- recreation (initial image not found)  Prototype 4.5 was the near to the final creation. I created it with the right hand rule in mind. The direction of the current would dictate the direction the axel would move in. This prototype was created to be sturdy and hold the wire in place while stimulating the force needed to create movement This also managed to update my risk assesment as the current it created managed to melt the wire i was using and fuse it to the glove I was wearing to protect myself from the super glue and heat. Prototype #4 was not a success due to my finding that the boxes coils went against the magnetic field, meaning i had to rethink my design once again. Results : Heaviy magnetic force No spin 

(YOU MUST LOOK AT THIS POST IN PREVIEW MODE)  Experiment # 1 Inquiry Question : How much torque can my motor create Hypothesis : A little (0.05 - 0.1N) Materials:  Electric Motor x 1 Paper clips x 10 Method : 1. Attach string to motor 2. Add paper clip 3. Turn on motor 4. see if motor stops 5. Repeat steps 2- 4 until motor stops Force in opposition to motor (0.5 = friction coefficient of wood) Torque (N) (0.5*m) Mass (kg) 0.0005 0.001 0.001 0.002 0.0015 0.003 0.002 0.004 0.0025 0.005 0.003 0.006 0.0035 0.007 0.004 0.008 0.0045 0.009 0.005 0.01                                                                      (Show of torque mass relationship via a graph) Results : The motor stopped at the force of 0.005 meaning the torque of the motor was in the range of 0.0045 - 0.005 newton-metres Discussion : The experiment could've been more accurate if I had a more accurate reading of the n/m (such as if I had gone into more in depth weight.) I also could have weighed each paperclip indiv

Prototype number 5 was the final and most sucessful prototype. It managed to spin due to its relation to the magnetic field with immense force, seen in my experiments, and managed to subvert my expectations. Of course, it could always be better, more prongs would therotically allow the motor more oppurtunity to latch onto the magnetic field, and a larger number of coils would allow for a larger force to be made, such is the pursuit of science.

Prototype #4 was very similar to #3 in structure and theory the only real change being the number of prongs coming out of the axel. I added to more prongs to my axel to help pick up the magnetic field easier. The prongs also added length of the the coil, and due to our equation F= IlB, the length of the wire would increase the force of my axel. The issue found was the way the force was being applied. Due to the Right Hand Rule, and the the way force works with a magnetic field, the force was not going the way I wanted. It was going into the page rather than to the right and I needed to fix that in my next prototype.

 The second prototype had a similar design to the first prototype. Of course, it was adjusted to allow for the current to actually flow into it. The current would flow through the wires holding the commutator,  which would apply the current. This supplying current would allow for the commutator to spin upward and fall back down due to gravity in a continuous pattern. This system was not complex and required little thought/parts. This motor only ever managed to slightly twitch. This is due to the power source i was using, a 9 volt battery, which managed to run out of power fairly quickly. This was also due to the design of the motor as a whole, I was much to flimsy, and the commutator was much to heavy, so this system of motor i had come up with was only ever going to work after a couple prototypes, and would be a nightmare to deal with due to the pre exclaimed flimsiness. Final Result : Magnetic force felt                      : Twitched a little

 The first prototype of my motor was a simple build that didn't have a lot of complex design. . It included a current that ran through into the commutator of the motor, the wire's connecting to the commutator  My hypothesis for the motor was that the wire on the "spit roast" would move u when you placed the magnets on the top and bottom of the motor and be pulled down by gravity after the fact in a  continuous cycle.  Of course, after creating the motor, the flaws were numerous. It was completely and utterly useless, due to my lack of understanding on the way a motor was to be created as a whole. The wires which ran the current to the commutator meant it was disallowed from moving, they were also not shaved disallowing them to pick up a current (again showing initial lack of knowledge). The metal holding the wire was also not part of the circuit, an idea that would completely change in prototype #2.  Results: No Movement               No Magnetic force felt