Question

Which of the following would have the strongest magnetic field?


A. An iron nail with 17 coils of copper wire wrapped around it.


B. An iron nail with 7 coils of copper wire wrapped around it.


C. A plastic nail with 17 coils of copper wire wrapped around it.


D. A plastic nail with 7 coils of copper wire wrapped around it.

Answer 1

To determine which option would have the strongest magnetic field, we need to consider both the material of the nail (iron or plastic) and the number of coils of wire wrapped around it.

1. **Material**: Iron is a ferromagnetic material, which means it can become magnetized and amplify the magnetic field generated by electric current. Plastic, on the other hand, is non-magnetic and does not contribute to the magnetic field.

2. **Coil Windings**: The more coils of wire that are wrapped around a core (nail in this case), the stronger the magnetic field generated when there is current flowing through the wire. This is based on the principle that the magnetic field strength increases with the number of turns of wire.

Now, we evaluate the options:

- **A (Iron nail with 17 coils)**: This option has both a ferromagnetic core (iron) and a relatively high number of coils (17).

- **B (Iron nail with 7 coils)**: This option also benefits from the iron core, but has fewer coils (7), which would result in a weaker magnetic field compared to option A.

- **C (Plastic nail with 17 coils)**: While this option has a good number of coils (17), the plastic core will not contribute to any significant magnetic field since it is non-magnetic.

- **D (Plastic nail with 7 coils)**: Similar to option C, this option has a lesser number of coils (7), and the plastic core provides no magnetic enhancement.

Given this information, the strongest magnetic field would come from **option A: An iron nail with 17 coils of copper wire wrapped around it.**