How Do You Make Electricity With Permanent Magnets?
A wire loop that cuts the field lines of a magnet experiences an electromotive force (EMF) so that electrons move in a current within the wire, according to “Fundamentals of Physics,” written by David Halliday and Robert Resnick. This phenomenon of induced current was discovered by accident in 1819 by Hans Christian Oersted while he was giving a lecture. You can perform a similar demonstration with simple lab equipment. Strip the ends of a piece of wire (at least 6 inches long) so they can make electrical contact. Attach these bare ends to the two contacts of an ammeter. Wave a permanent magnet near the wire. The ammeter needle should move back and forth, above and below zero amperes. This is because as the magnet moves in one direction, it induces an EMF pushing electrons in the wire one way. When the magnet returns in the other direction, the EMF reverses, pushing the electrons in the other direction. Undo one of the wire’s contacts. Place another wire with stripped ends at that cont
