Recent content by willynilly

I think you were right about the permanent magnet's attraction to the the iron nail exceeding the the strength of its magnetic field. I changed from a 1.5 D to 2 AAA's and I noticed that one side of the permanent magnet has a much stronger attraction to the electromagnet than the flip side. I...

Oh...I thought you needed to have some kind of conductive core. I guess I'll give it a try. Also, is "amperage" simply battery strength? How do I increase amperage, increase battery strength? (I know it's a stupid question, but I'm a totally newb to this kind of stuff) Thanks

That's actually what I thought was the problem at first, but I was told that it wasn't possible because magnets can't be attracting and repelling at the same time. But, maybe the person I asked didn't understand what I was trying to say. Thanks, I'll see if I can get a hold of a bigger...

Hmmm...I don't think it's too powerful, if anything not powerful enough...It can barely pick up a few paperclips. Thanks for the suggestion though, I appreciate it. edit: I do have a TON of coils. The entire foot-long nail is covered. I always thought that coils x voltage = strength, so...

Homework Statement I have made an electromagnet out of a 1 ft. iron nail, insulated copper wiring and a 1.5 D cell battery. My task is to use the electromagnet to repel a small, circular permanent magnet (1 in. dia., 1/4 in. thick) For some reason, I can only get the electromagnet to...

The permanent magnet is circular, about 1-inch diameter and about 1/4 inch thick. It's not very powerful. The nail is 6 inches long. I have no idea how many feet of wire I used or how many coils, but the entire thing is covered. Hopefully I have a 1.5 D cell laying around somewhere...

I have made a simple electromagnet with an iron nail, insulated copper wiring, and a 9v battery. My intention is to use the electromagnet to repel a small permanent magnet, but for some reason, I can only get the electromagnet to attract the permanent magnet. I figure I must have a problem...