OpenOlympiad
Concept 9 of 9Foundation
Video

Electromagnets and their uses

Wrap an insulated wire around an iron nail. Connect wire to a cell → current flows → the nail becomes a strong magnet. Disconnect → magnetism vanishes.

That's an electromagnet: magnetism you can switch ON and OFF.

Strength depends on:

  • Number of turns of wire (more = stronger)
  • Current flowing (more = stronger)
  • Iron core quality (soft iron is best)

Uses: electric bells, speakers, motors, cranes lifting scrap iron, MRI scanners, maglev trains.

Example
In a scrapyard, a huge electromagnet lifts a pile of steel cars. To release them into a truck, the operator simply turns off the current.
💡 Tip:Electromagnets = controllable magnetism. Can't do that with a permanent magnet.
Prefer a video? Open YouTube search for “electromagnet class 6

🎯 Try it!

5 questions to check what you just read.

0 / 5
  1. Q1.An electromagnet is:
  2. Q2.Strength of electromagnet increases with:
  3. Q3.Scrapyard crane uses:
  4. Q4.Core inside an electromagnet is usually:
  5. Q5.Electromagnet advantage over permanent magnet: