Name:__________________________________________ Date:_______________________
Section: _______________________________________ Teacher:_____________________
Activity__
Making Your Own Electric Motor
I. Objectives:
• Build a simple electric motor.
• Explain the operation of a simple electric motor.
II. Materials:
• 1 AA battery
• 3 Neodymium magnets or any strong magnets
• pliers or long nose
• AWG #23 – enamel coated magnetic copper wire (1meter long)
• 4x4 plywood or cardboard
• 2 big paper clips or 2 big safety pins
• connecting wires(if available)
• Thumbtacks or screws
• cutter/scissors
Safety Precautions:
• The neodymium magnet is many times stronger than the ordinary disk magnet that
can hold papers on refrigerator doors. Be careful not to get your fingers pinched
between these magnets and other magnetic materials.
• Wires can get hot when connected to the battery for a long time. Open the circuit
once you are done with your observations.
III. Procedure
1. Assembly of the Electric Motor Model – Cut the length of
copper wire into three pieces. With the use of the pliers,
shape the three wires into a spiral, square, heart or any
figure to your liking similar to what is shown in Figure13.
Figure 13. A sample electric motor model using
neodymium magnets.
2. Make a sample pile of the three neodymium magnets, the battery and the shaped
copper wire. Make adjustments to the length and width of the shaped wire. See to it
that there is a bare connection between the wire ends and the neodymium magnet
and also between the pivot part (balancing point) of the wire and the positive
terminal of the battery. Scrape or sand off the material insulating the wire at these
indicated points. Disassemble the set up when making the needed shape adjustments
and sanding of the copper wire.
3. Testing of Model – Carefully pile with the three neodymium magnets and the battery
on a level surface. Mount the shaped wire, with its pivot part as a rotating point, over
the positive terminal of the battery. Check that the bottom ends of the wire curl
loosely around the magnets forming a closed circuit. You now have a simple DC
electric motor model that we will simply call a DC motor model. Give the current-
carrying shaped wire a gentle spin.
4. Observe and record what happens to the shaped wire. Warning! Disconnect the DC
motor model immediately after making observations.
5. If your DC motor does not work, stretch your tolerance, abilities, and knowledge.
Have fun making your motor model demonstrate the effect of an electromagnetic
force on a conductor that is within a magnetic field.
6. Extending Inquiry of Model – Tinker with your electric motor model and try to look for
other ways to demonstrate the same effect by an electromagnetic force.
IV. Guide Questions:
1. What are the adjustments you made to make your simple motor work?
2. What other observations have you made regarding your electric motor model?
3. Based on the activity, how will you explain the operation of a simple electric motor?
4. What do you think are the best inventions or devices made that use the principle of
an electric motor? Why?
