- Many of the electrical devices that we use every day are powered by an electric motor. For example, cars, watches, and printers are all powered by electric motors. Electric motors use the flow of electrical energy to produce mechanical energy, or movement. The electrical energy in the motor produces a spinning motion; anything attached to the motor can harness that spinning motion to move in other ways.
- At the heart of the electric motor is the electromagnet. An electromagnet is based on the premise that when electricity flows through a coiled wire, a magnetic field will form. When a piece of metal is inserted through the coil, the magnetic current becomes even stronger. Therefore, a coiled wire containing a piece of metal will become an electromagnet when electricity flows through it. Like all magnets, it will have a north pole and a south pole.
- If an electromagnet is placed between the arms of a horseshoe magnet, it will turn until the poles of the electromagnet face the opposing poles on the horseshoe magnet. It will then stop. To make an electromagnet spin (which is the most important aspect of a motor), the magnetic field of the electromagnet would need to keep on changing directions. In other words, the north pole would need to become the south pole and the south pole would need to become the north pole several times every second.
- The use of alternating current (AC) solves this problem easily. By definition, AC changes direction several times a second, so the poles of the electromagnet switch places as well. In places where AC is not available, direct current (DC) is used. A DC motor uses a commutator, which artificially switches the direction of the current in the electromagnet. The effects of both are the same: a spinning electromagnet that acts as a motor, converting electrical energy into mechanical energy.
