Revving it Up! Helping Students Investigate the Forces that Power a Motor

Authors

Roy D. Unruh, University of Northern IowaFollow
Larry Escalada, University of Northern IowaFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The Electric Motors learning cycle demonstrates how magnetic fields and electric currents interact to produce a force on a moving charge. In the exploratory activity students manipulate a magnetic field to produce motion in a cone and construct an electric motor by winding an armature and field coils. In the concept development activity, students construct a simple motor with a single coil and ceramic magnets. They feel the force on a current carrying coil in a magnetic field that leads to the right-hand rule. They also analyze the operation of a motor used to power a toy car. The application activity compares the mechanical power transferred in lifting weights with an electric motor to the power consumed by the electric motor. This article promotes National Science Education Content Standards A and B, and Iowa Teaching Standards 2, 3, 4, and 5.

Publication Date

Fall 2006

Journal Title

Iowa Science Teachers Journal

Volume

33

Issue

3

First Page

16

Last Page

21

Copyright

© Copyright 2006 by the Iowa Academy of Science

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Recommended Citation

Unruh, Roy D. and Escalada, Larry (2006) "Revving it Up! Helping Students Investigate the Forces that Power a Motor," Iowa Science Teachers Journal: Vol. 33: No. 3, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarworks.uni.edu/istj/vol33/iss3/5