Electricity Basics
What is the flow of electric charge called?
What is electric current?
What are the two ends of a magnet called?
What are the north and south poles?
What is a magnet that is created using electricity called?
What is an electromagnet?
What do you call a device that opens and closes a circuit?
What is a switch?
What do we call the force that can pull or push on magnetic materials?
What is magnetism?
This is the reason adding more coils of wire around an iron core makes an electromagnet stronger.
What is increasing the magnetic field by concentrating the current in more loops?
What do we call a complete path that allows electricity to flow?
What is a circuit?
What happens when like poles of two magnets are pushed together?
They repel each other
What part of the electromagnet becomes magnetic when current flows through it?
The iron core (or rivet).
What type of circuit has only one path for electricity to flow?
What is a series circuit?
What everyday device uses an electromagnet to make sound?
What is a doorbell or speaker?
If you use a thicker wire with the same battery and number of coils, this property of the electromagnet changes — and here’s why.
What is the strength increases because thicker wire allows more current to flow?
What material does not allow electricity to flow easily?
What is an insulator?
What type of metal is most attracted to magnets?
What is iron?
How can you make an electromagnet stronger?
Add more coils of wire or increase the current or add more power.
What type of circuit has more than one path for the current to flow?
What is a parallel circuit?
What type of magnet is used in electric motors?
An electromagnet
An electric motor converts electrical energy into this type of energy
What is mechanical energy or kinetic energy.
What is needed to make electricity flow in a circuit?
What is a power source (like a battery)?
What do we call the invisible area around a magnet where magnetic forces act?
What is a magnetic field?
What happens to the electromagnet when the electric current is turned off?
It loses its magnetism.
What happens to a series circuit when one bulb burns out?
The whole circuit stops working.
What do electromagnets help trains do in magnetic levitation (maglev) systems?
They lift and move the train without touching the track.
If you reverse the direction of the current in an electromagnet, this happens to the magnetic poles
What is the north and south poles switch places
What are materials that allow electricity to flow easily called?
What are conductors?
What happens when opposite poles of two magnets are close?
They attract each other
In the FOSS investigation, what was used to create an electromagnet?
A battery, wire, and iron nail.
What must be true about the circuit for a light bulb to turn on?
It must be a closed circuit.
Why are electromagnets useful compared to permanent magnets?
Because they can be turned on and off.
You are asked to design an electromagnet that can lift small metal objects but not damage delicate ones nearby. Describe a design change you could make to control its magnetic strength.
What are reducing the number of wire coils or lowering the electric current