Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I am in the process of creating a series of electromagnets for a school science fair, but I am having trouble getting them to work. I originally got the magnet to work with 32 gauge copper wire that would normally be used for hanging paintings (From Artistic Wire). That wire quickly ran out, so I went ahead and purchased a lot of 32 gauge wire from a different company. Now, with the new wire that I expected to be better, the magnet is not working. Is my problem with the wire, or do you think there is another reason for this issue?

Here are the links to the two wires:
First wire: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00 ... UTF8&psc=1
Second wire: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01 ... UTF8&psc=1

With the new wire did you make sure that the enamel on the wire was completely removed with sand paper or something similar? The enamel would prevent the solenoid from forming. If the enamel was removed the battery might not be strong enough to power the solenoid. If this is the case a bigger battery should work.

Hope this helps

P.s. Just in case you did not know what a solenoid is, it coiled wie acting as a magnet.

Hi derekcoffsky,

From the links you provided it appears that both types of wire that you tried are coated and either type seems suitable for making an electromagnet. So the problem you're having may be due to some other issue.

Some possibilities that come to mind are:

Broken wire in the windings – you can check this by testing the resistance with a multimeter.
Broken coating on the wire in the windings.
Bad battery.
Poor connection of the windings to the battery.


I hope this helps. Please post again if you have more questions.

A. Norman