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Unit 11: Magnetism Page 18
One story about this discovery, make a greater amount of
goes like this: electricity each time you moved
the magnet through the wire.
A science teacher doing a
demonstration for his students Believe it or
(can you see why I like this story) not, most of
noticed that as he moved a the electricity
magnet, he caused one of his you use comes
instruments to register the flow of from moving
electricity. He experimented a bit magnets
further with this and noticed that a around coils of
moving magnetic field can actually wire! Electrical power plants either
create electrical current. Thus tying spin HUGE coils of wire around
the magnetism and the electricity very powerful magnets or they spin
together. very powerful magnets around
HUGE coils of wire. The electricity
Before that, they were seen as two to power your computer, your
completely different phenomena! lights, your air conditioning, your
Now we know, that you can’t have radio or whatever, comes from
an electric field without a magnetic spinning magnets or wires!
field. You also cannot have a
moving magnetic field, without “But, what about all those nuclear
causing electricity in objects that and coal power plants I hear about
electrons can move in (like wires). all the time?”
Moving electrons create a magnetic
field and moving magnetic fields Good question. Do you know what
can create electric currents. that nuclear and coal stuff does? It
gets really hot. When it gets really
“So, if I just made electricity, can I hot, it boils water. When it boils
power a light bulb by moving a water, it makes steam and do you
magnet around?” know what the steam does? It
causes giant wheels to turn. Guess
Yes, if you moved that magnet what’s on those giant wheels.
back and forth fast enough you That’s right, a huge coil of wire or
could power a light bulb. However, very powerful magnets!
by fast enough, I mean like 1000
times a second or more! If you had Coal and nuclear energy basically
a stronger magnet, or many more do little more than boil water. With
coils in your wire, then you could the exception of solar energy
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