I hope this is the right thread

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a high school project involving the construction of an electromagnetic device capable of holding weight. Participants explore the materials available for the project and seek suggestions for maximizing the device's performance, particularly in terms of current generation and magnetic force.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant outlines the materials available for the project, including batteries, steel bars, and a hand crank generator, and invites suggestions for the electromagnetic device.
  • Another participant questions which power source would generate more current, suggesting that the hand crank generator might be more effective than the D cell batteries.
  • A participant mentions the intention to connect the batteries in series to potentially increase current output, while expressing a belief that the hand crank could produce more energy overall.
  • Technical details are provided regarding the relationship between the magnetic field strength, the number of wire turns, current, and the radius of the loops, emphasizing that increasing these factors could enhance the magnetic force.
  • There is a suggestion to use only one hand crank generator, noting that the current produced will depend on the cranking speed.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the effectiveness of the power sources, with some favoring the hand crank generator and others exploring the potential of using batteries in series. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the optimal configuration for generating current and magnetic force.

Contextual Notes

Participants discuss assumptions about the materials and their properties, such as the type of wood and the specifics of the wire's amperage, which remain unspecified. There is also uncertainty regarding the optimal number of turns of wire around the steel bars.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students and educators involved in hands-on physics projects, particularly those focusing on electromagnetism and energy generation techniques.

Filipino Rice
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Well anyways..
I'm currently a student at a High School.
We have these "Scrap heap challenges"
The idea of this one is to build a "Electromagnetic device"
This one is to hold at least 5 grams of weight and maintain it..
After that we keep adding weight to see who's can hold the most

With the items of...[I'm unsure of some these item sizes but should be general area or somewhat close to that...And those are referring to width not length]

Paper clips [Roughly 10]
2 Dcell batteries
1 1/4 inch steel bar
1 1/2 inch steel bar
1 inch steel bar
1 1/4 inch aluminum bar
1 1/2 wood [Wood is unsure type]
2 hand cranks [This device has to circuit ends leading to clamp onto a device and you crank the handle producing an electric current] DC current btw..
1 foot long tape
5m of wire [the ampage I am unsure of]

I believe this is most of the stuff used in experiment

Any ideas or suggestions feel free ><
This experiment should be similar to a lot which I've also looked up online..but yea..
Any help is helpful heh xD
Thanks in advanced
 
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Welcome to PF Filipino Rice.

Which do you think would produce the most current (hence magnetic force); 2 D cell batteries or the hand crank generator? I would probably go for the generator and someone with a good arm.
 
Thats personally what i thought too..
We were trying to develop a way to connect them all in series to see if that would produce more current than a crank or battery alone.
But personally we think the crank would produce more energy.

As to the steel bars..
We used the smallest one..and wrapped it with the wire..
We were told more times it goes around the steel bar the more magnetic force it would produce..
Correct me if I am wrong ^^

But thank you for welcoming me
 
Yes. The magnetic field, B, is proportional to (NxI)/R where N is the number of turns of your wire, I is the current from your generator, and R is radius of the loops. So to get a greater field; increase the the number of turns and electrical current through them, and make the loops small. Note: your electromagnet will have a smaller area of "pick-up" due to the smaller steel core.

I think you should use only one hand crank generator since the current produced will depend on the speed in which the crank is turned. So you can't stop cranking.

Good luck on the challenge. Let us know how it goes.
 
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