Thick or Thin Wire for Coil Gun: Physics Project

[maximade]

I am making a coil gun for my physics project and I am wondering if it is better to use a thick wire or a thin wire for the coiling process. (both are magnetic wire)
Also, when I coil it, am I supposed to make only one layer of coil as opposed to several layers?

Thanks in advance.

 

[chrisbaird]

The coil of a coil gun is just a solenoidal electromagnet. The magnetic field produced by a solenoidal electromagnet is proportional to the current and the number of loops in the coil. Adding more loops will create a stronger magnetic field. Using thinner wires allows you to pack more loops into the same space, so you should go for thinner wires layered as much as possible. The only problem is that if the current is too high and the wires too thin, they will heat up and burn out. So the best answer is go for the thinnest wire possible that is still thick enough to carry the current you plan on driving through it. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge#Table_of_AWG_wire_sizes