Motor

Simple Motor

Today, in the physics class, our group learned how to build a simple motor with materials such as cork, wires, wood, thumbtack nails, and aluminum pieces. The motor are basically divided to different components - the commutator, split-ring, conductor, and power supply. The commutator involves two pins that are metal that are fixed in the cork so they can attach to the brushes located at the both sides of the commutator while spinning (aluminum pieces), and the electricity will pass through the metal conductor to the wires wrapped around the cork. While electricity passing through the wires been wrapped around the cork, magnetic field is created which makes a up force at one side and a down force at the other side due to the direction of current flow, so overall the commutator could spin a complete circle. In the process of building a simple motor, there are few details that needs to be further noticed otherwise, the motor will not work at the first time. The brushes made of aluminum pieces from cans are needed to be rubbed by sandpaper until the silver-shiny surface appear, otherwise electricity will not passes through them. The wires are also required to be rubbed at the end and the beginning part which then will wrap around the pin. For building the commutator, wires should be wrapped neatly, and parallel to each other.