Electromagnets

Who first looked at the electromagnet?

The person who first looked at the electromagnet was a British electrical
engineer by the name of William Sturgeon he started working in science at the
age of 37 while still being a part of the military. He later left the military and
became a lecturer before creating the electromagnet. William Sturgeon was
born on the 22nd of may 1783. After Sturgeon’s breakthrough with the
electromagnet he taught, lectured and still experimented and later made the
first DC motor that could provide enough power to drive machinery.

What is an electromagnet?
An electromagnet is mechanically very simple and easy to produce but is very
useful in everyday life. All you need to create one is a conductive wire (usually
copper) to be wrapped around a piece of metal. You then send an electrical
current through the wire either from a battery or another source of electricity.
This will create an electric field around your wire magnetising your piece of
metal as if it was a normal magnet. Electromagnets are useful because they
can be turned off and on by interrupting or completing the circuit respectively

When was it first looked at and its timeline?

The first electromagnet was created in 1825 but the idea came from the
discovery that electricity emitted magnetic waves five years prior in 1820.
William Sturgeon invented the first electromagnet in 1825 by getting a
horseshoe shaped piece of iron and loosely wrapping uninsulated wires
around the iron. 5 years later an American inventor named Joseph Henry
improved on Sturgeons device by making it more powerful which was the
catalyst for long distance communication by sending the current over one mile
of wire to power an electromagnet

Where are they used?

Electromagnets are a very useful invention that can be seen in a lot of
everyday items such as doorbells, Speakers, car yards, Data storage systems
on electronic devices, headphones, electric motors, magnetic locks, MRI
machines and even induction cookers just to name a few. This proves just
how useful this discovery and invention was as they are now used everywhere
without people really being aware.

Why was it an important invention?

The electromagnet was an important invention because as stated above the
electromagnet is used in a lot of everyday appliances and equipment that are
used often. They are also seen in very helpful items that may not be an
everyday thing like MRI machines. The MRI machine is a massive
breakthrough in the medical field that would not be possible without
electromagnets. So without the discovery of electromagnets our society would
not be as advanced.

How do they work?

Electromagnets work by electrically charging a metallic object and making it
magnetised, this is done by sending an electrical current through a wire that
has been coiled around a piece of metal. The wires are usually copper. The
reason why electromagnets are preferred in some cases to a permanent
magnet is because it can be turned off and on by just interrupting or
completing the circuit respectively meaning it is not always attracting or
repelling objects and can be used in objects that only need a quick magnetic
field.

References
Bellis, M. 2019, William Sturgeon and the Invention of the Electromagnet.
Available at:
https://www.thoughtco.com/who-invented-the-electromagnet-1991678
accessed:14th of february 2023

Brian, M, Pollette, C. 2021 How Electromagnets Work. Available at:

https://science.howstuffworks.com/electromagnet.htm accessed: 14th of
february 2023

Byju’s. Uses of Electromagnet. Available at:

https://byjus.com/physics/uses-of-electromagnet/ accessed: 16th of
february 2023