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Physics for Kids4 chapters | 67 lessons
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Have you ever played with magnets? It is so much fun to pick up metal objects with the magnets or face opposite poles together and watch them push apart. Magnets can be fun toys to play with. Did you know that magnets can be used to create electricity? This is called electromagnetic induction.
Electromagnetic induction is the use of the movement of magnets around a coil of wire to create an electrical current through the wire. This is typically done by rotating magnets between north and south poles of the magnets while a coil of wire moves between the rotating magnets.
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Every magnet has a north pole on one end and a south pole on the other end. Like poles repel each other, meaning that the north poles of two magnets will push away from each other. Opposite poles attract each other, meaning the north and south poles of two magnets will pull toward each other. The alternating push and pull at timed intervals causes the rotation of the magnets around the coil of wire, thereby producing the electrical current.
In 1831, a physicist from England named Michael Faraday discovered that if you change the magnetic fields (for example by rotating a magnet) around a coil of wire, you can create an electrical current through the wire. He figured out that the more that the magnetic field changed, the stronger the electrical current. He used this knowledge to apply electromagnetic induction to produce power without having to have electricity first.
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The idea of electromagnetic induction was put to use to make generators. Generators create energy, particularly for providing energy when electricity is not available (like when the power goes out) or as alternative methods of energy production. A generator uses an alternative fuel source to rotate the magnets around the coil of wire, producing electricity that can then be used to power lights, refrigerators, computers, and any other thing that normally uses electricity.
The fuel for these generators can be gasoline, wind (wind power), or even water (hydro power), to name a few. Dams, for instance, use electromagnetic induction to generate large amounts of electricity for electric companies. They use hydro power to rotate the massive generators' magnets, producing the electricity.
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Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831, applying this process to create the first generator. Generators produce electricity by using the push and pull created from the magnets north and south pole, spinning the magnets around a coil of wire. The creation of electricity by moving a coil of wire through magnetic fields is called electromagnetic induction.
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Physics for Kids4 chapters | 67 lessons
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