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A student builds different electromagnets using a 9 volt battery connected to an iron nail and with coils wrapped around it. Each electromagnet has a different number of coils wrapped around the nail. Which electromagnet will pick up the most paper clips?

A

B

C

D

1 answer

To determine which electromagnet will pick up the most paper clips, we can consider the following factors that influence the strength of an electromagnet:

  1. Number of Coils: Increasing the number of coils of wire wrapped around the iron nail increases the magnetic field strength. More coils result in a stronger electromagnet.

  2. Current: Since the student is using a 9-volt battery, the current flowing through the coils will be fairly consistent as long as the resistance of the wire remains the same.

  3. Type of Core Material: The iron nail acts as a ferromagnetic core, which enhances the magnetic field created by the coils, but in this case, it remains constant across the different electromagnets.

Given that the only variable in this experiment is the number of coils wrapped around the nail (A, B, C, or D representing different amounts), the electromagnet with the most coils (let's say it's D) will be the strongest and therefore should pick up the most paper clips.

So, if you have to choose from A, B, C, or D, you would select the one with the maximum number of coils to predict which electromagnet will pick up the most paper clips.