I see magnets everyday in my life; at school, home etc. two types of magnets are permanent, and electromagnets. Engineers need to consider the size, strength, what the magnet is being used for and productivity. Engineers have to choose the right magnet for each task.

Permanent and electromagnets are different. Some of the differences between these two types are; electromagnets have varied strength, use electricity and can be turned on and off. Permanent magnets have the same strength, found naturally and are permanent. Permanent magnets are found in nature but electromagnets need electricity to work. The things to make an electromagnet are as follows; aligned domains, permanent magnet, magnet field, electron flow, solenoid, circuit, and wire gauge. An electric current can create a magnetic field because a cylinder shaped magnetic field is created around a current carrying wire. When the wire is coiled into a loop, the magnetic field is increased. If a ferromagnetic material is placed inside the solenoid the magnetic field increased even more. An electromagnet is a temporary magnet when the current in the electric circuits is complete.

We used this process to make electromagnets in our classroom lab. In our lab we conducted an experiment with a nail which we put coils of wire around. We then attached the two sides of the wire to a battery. We then saw how many paperclips we could pick up. Each table had a different variable, out was gauge of wire, we had 16 and 18. The other variables were number of coils and voltage. The results of our variables were; the more coils there were the better it worked. The more voltage the better it worked and the 18 gauge wire worked better. But of course, answer will vary. We saw these results because the more coils there are the more electrons can go through. The more voltage there is, the more power there is to pick up the paperclip, the 16 gauge wire was better because it had more electrons through.

Just like in our lab, these same variables affect the strength of the magnetic field around real-world electromagnet. Tattoo guns use small amounts of electrons, while coil guns use massive amounts to launch objects hundreds of miles. The coil gun wrap wire around a barrel that can carry electricity. When the electricity is on, the coil creates a strong magnetic field that attracts the object (a ferromagnetic material) and puts it down the barrel. As soon as the object passes the coil, the electricity is turned off there and on in the next coil. This continues until the object is traveling very fast and can be launched out of the barrel. The tattoo gun has a current flowing between the contact screw and the contact spring, it completes the circuit causing; the electromagnetic coils to pull down on the armature bar, which causes the needle bar to move down with it, the needles at the end of the needle bar penetrate the skin. With the circuit broken, the armature spring is free to exert its upward force again, causing the circuit to close with the contact made again. This process repeats between 80-150 times a second, providing the artist with a way to penetrate the skin with ink without moving your hand.

Engineers need to consider many things when building an electromagnet. When engineers build a tape recorder they have to make the electromagnet weak so it isn’t to strong because it would attract things. It’s not supposed to do that. An engineer has to make a junkyard crane very strong so it can pick up all the metal things in a junkyard, because the more electricity the more can be picked up. The variable that changes the magnetic field in the magnetic power is the course being used. It is important to have the right strength on an electric magnet so you do not get any other ferromagnetic material attracted.