Most motors use electromagnets to cause mechanical rotation, which can do work. The most fundamental element of the AC motor is the electromagnet, a magnet made from electric current. In the first Demonstration Experiment below, you can make and demonstrate an electromagnet to show students the most basic method of changing electrical energy into mechanical energy. Make some simple drawings of how magnets work in the operation of a motor. Discuss the use of the motor in industry and how other applications of the motor might work.
Scientists usually inquire about how physical, living, or designed systems function.
Conceptual principles and knowledge guide scientific inquiries. Historical and current scientific knowledge influence the design and interpretation of investigations and the evaluation of proposed explanations made by other scientists. Moving electric charges produce magnetic forces, and moving magnets produce electric forces. These effects help students to understand electric motors and generators. The total energy of the universe is constant.