Demo1st Grade

Homopolar Motor

Wire spins with no visible gears or motor housing.

Teaching & key ideas

What you do: Assemble so current flows through wire in magnetic field. What students see: Wire spins with no visible gears or motor housing. Why it works: A current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field experiences a force that produces torque. Question to ask: Where are the motor's 'moving parts'?

Lesson flow

Predict → demonstrate → observe → briefly explain → ask: Where are the motor's 'moving parts'?