What is a Homopolar Motor?
A homopolar motor is a type of electric motor that uses direct current to create rotational movement, such as that generated by a battery. They are fun to make.
A homopolar motor is a type of electric motor that uses direct current to create rotational movement, such as that generated by a battery. They are fun to make.
Magnets play a key role in numerous industries, in particular, the automotive industry our magnets are used throughout the industry starting with the concept development process for a new model, throughout the assembly, and culminating with that unforgettable new car experience for customers.
Find out how to make a Gauss rifle using a few neodymium magnets and steel ball bearings and watch one in action.
Every audio speaker uses permanent magnets whether the speaker is in your car, in your stereo, your earphones or your smartphone. Permanent magnets provide the force that makes the component in the speaker that creates the sound, moves.
A reed switch is an electromagnetic switch used to control the flow of electricity in a circuit. They are made from two or more ferrous reeds encased within a small glass tube-like envelope, which become magnetised and move together or separate when a magnetic field is moved towards the switch. The switch effectively works like a gate, or a bridge, in an electric circuit so when the two reeds are in contact, electricity can flow around the circuit operating a device. Unlike mechanical switches they do not require something or... Read More
Not actually named after a fellow called Eddie - an eddy current is a swirling electrical current that is created in a conducting metal such as copper or steel by moving the metal through a magnetic field, or a magnetic field over the metal.
If you are trying to fix a screw in a hard to reach place or are working with small, fiddly screws a magnetised screwdriver can save you lots of time. Most new, high-end screwdrivers are supplied already magnetised, but sometimes they can lose their magnetism. There are a number of ways you can use magnets to remagnetise a screwdriver, or magnetise one that was never magnetised in the first place.
The Earth behaves like one large magnet; we know this for certain because of the visible effects on a magnetic compass by the Earth’s magnetic field. In 1600 William Gilbert was the first physician to publish his findings on the Earth’s magnetic field and a hypothesis for its origin in his book titled de Magnete.
By understanding how an electric motor works you can learn a lot about magnetism and its relationship with electricity, and what better way to learn how a motor works than by building your own basic motor. But first, a little about the fundamentals of electricity and magnetism.
We’re on the verge of a once in an eleven year solar event that sounds as impossible as it does fascinating, if not a little menacing – a solar field reversal. More specifically, a complete reversal of the sun’s polar magnetic field which means that its magnetic north and south poles will change places entirely.