Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Louise wrote:

Bluerose17 wrote:and we have already searched all topics realting to spark- spark gaps- and the project create your own spark

The advice I quoted said that steel bolts with any hardness number was unusuable.

My best advice at this point is what I suggested in the previous post. Use the rebar. Look at the electromagnet project for ideas. And again, how are you testing that it is an electromagnetic.

Oh, and you did scrape of the insulation where you connected it to the battery, right?

Louise

Sorry, I misread your first post. You did get this to work with the car battery? I'd use that setup and test your three bolts. See which one is the best electromagnet for a set number of coils. Count how many paper clips it can pick up or something. Which ever one is best is the lowest carbon steel, and will make the best electromagnet of the materials you have. (The amount of carbon in the steel determines the hardness and the magnetic properties. Higher carbon steel is very hard, but not magnetic. Low carbon steels is soft, but magnetic. You probably can make an electromagnet out of any type of steel, assuming enough current, which I guess is what you proved.)

The magnetic field induced will be related to the number of coils. That is why neatly wrapping is better, so you can fit more in.

Louise

If you read the instructions they always talk about the "iron core", so I think the person who did this project description was using iron, not steel bolt, so this is probably why the single lantern battery worked.

Also, the original instructions (see the bizarre labs link in the bibliogrpahy) uses an iron core.

You may be able to get one of your bolts to work with the lattern batteries, but maybe not. I agree the car battery may be problematic at the science fair, so if you can get a chunk of iron quickly, I'd try that.

Louise

okay, thank you

Bluerose17 wrote:okay, thank you

I hope you got this project to work, since I think you said it was due today. Good luck!

Either way, could you post back here with what your findings were? Did you get this to work with a lattern battery and the rebar? Or did you have to work with the car battery? Or did you find a chunk of iron? Or was something else wrong.

Thanks so much.

Louise

actually, we tore apart an inductor coil from a tractor and used that for the iron

Bluerose17 wrote:actually, we tore apart an inductor coil from a tractor and used that for the iron

Cool. You got everything else to work okay?

Louise