Understand electricity through the same experiments that early scientists used. Wind a coil of wire. Suspend a bar magnet in it. Charge the coil with a battery to spin the magnet. Test polarity. Discover the origins of motors and Morse Code.
How to Make One
Parts
With a light dab of glue, insert the Wrapping Pegs in the main housing.
Leaving an end of four inches (4"), loop the Wire around the Starting Peg at the bottom-left of the circle.
Carefully wrap it clockwise around the five Wrapping Pegs.
When you near the end, loop the wire around the Ending Peg on the lower-right of the circle. Leave at least four inches of wire and trim to size if necessary.
Insert the stands into the housing and place upright. Wrap the exposed wire at the ends onto the Washers.
Build the extending arm and insert into the housing.
Push thumb-tacks partially into the center of the housing and arm. Do not push them all the way in!
Tape the string to the magnets in the center.
Suspend the first magnet in the center of the circle. Suspend the second at the same height.
Insert the battery and touch the washers to either end. Observe the true power of magnetism.
Learn More with PhET
Expand the lesson with PhET, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena from the PhET project at the University of Colorado. The Circuit Construction Kit coupled with Philip Kukulski's DC Circuit Challenge provide an excellent lesson on electrical basics.
