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You are here: Home / Science / How do I make my own electromagnet with a nail and copper wire?

How do I make my own electromagnet with a nail and copper wire?

March 13, 2020 by Karen Hill

Go to your workshop or toolbox and retrieve a new D battery, a big iron nail, electrical tape, and several feet of thinly coated copper wire.

Wrap the middle of the copper wire around the nail evenly. Leave a good length of the wire free on either end, and strip the coating off the ends.

Tape the stripped wires to either end of the battery (i.e., the positive and negative ends).

Point one end of the nail toward metal objects like safety pins or paper clips and watch the attraction.

When you’ve played to your heart’s content, disconnect the wires from the battery, but be careful; the electrical charge generates a lot of heat.

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Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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