Today I finished work on a mini-motor made using a copper wire armature, a 9V-battery, two rubber bands, and two paper clips. The motor looked like this: a battery with two paper clips bent into stands on either side (attached with rubber bands) and a magnet on top. The current running through the armature made the motor work.
Here's how: we know that current is equal to I=V/R. Therefore, we must have a source of voltage for the current to run through the system. The battery provides the current's voltage. The paper clips conduct the current and as a result of the current's movement, the armature spins.
In order for the current to flow through the armature, I scraped the tops of the wire on either side of the loop while the loop was perpendicular to the table. I did it this way so that the force of the magnet's magnetic field, when acting on the armature, would cause a torque. The force would have been felt, but not have caused a torque had I scraped the armature while the loop was parallel to the table.
The armature spins because of the torque when it is connected to both sides of the battery, completing the circuit. If I added fan blades to the motor, it could keep me cool as the quickly warming days indicate summer's approach. Additionally, adding sharp blades would make me a blender and adding wheels would make me a car.
This is a video of my motor in action!
