What is Electromagnet?

Electricity can make light and heat. It can also make a magnet. But this is a magnet you can turn on and off.

A magnet made with electricity is called an electromagnet. An electromagnet has two parts. The first part is a solid centre, or core, made of iron. The second part is an outer covering made of wire that is coiled many times around and around the solid iron core.

When an electric current runs through the wound wire, the iron becomes a magnet. The iron gets its pull, or magnetism, from the moving electrons in the wire. As soon as the electric current is turned off, an electromagnet loses its magnetism.

Electromagnets are used to make electric motors run. A motor has two sets of these magnets – an outer set that stays in place and an inner set that moves. The inner set of electromagnets is attached to an axle – a rod that can spin. When the motor is turned on, the two sets of electromagnets push and pull against each other. That push makes the inner magnets move and spin the axle. And the spinning axle gives a push that makes the motor run.

Picture Credit : Google