Elementary motor: Magnet, wire and battery make a simple motor.

5H40.70 • D+45+8

diagram for demo

A strong magnet (Neodymium) attaches to the base of a 1.5 Volt battery. A bare copper wire then connects the top of the battery and the magnet. A current flows from the battery through the case of the magnet through the copper wire and then through the top of the battery. This creates a magnetic field which the Neodymium magnet exerts a force on and the wire rotates around the battery. If the magnet is reversed, the wire rotates in the opposite direction. (The nail is just an axle to keep the wire from coming off. It sticks to the battery since the battery case is ferromagnetic.)

Related Demos

5H40.10 Ampere's law: Currents in parallel wires attract or repel. 5H40.30 Force on a current carrying wire in a magnetic field. 5H40.71 Elementary motor: Bar on rails over solenoid with core. 5H40.71 Ammeter shunt: Only a small current flows to the meter.
D+45+0 Rolling bar motor: Same as D+30+ 20. D+45+2 Elementary split-ring armature DC motor. D+15+6 as a motor. D+45+4 AC induction motor: Armature in a whirling field. D+45+6 Elementary motor: Electron beam revolves in magnetic field. D+45+10 Elementary motor: Magnets and battery and copper coil make a simple motor. D+45+12 Applet: AC circuits: alternating current electricity D+45+11 Simple motor rolls straight and in circle