Electric Motor

 

Visitors explore the behavior and application of permanent and electro-magnets for creating motion with this exciting and challenging exhibit. The motor consists of a spoked rotor with permanent magnets affixed to the ends. The rotor is suspended from a horizontal shaft at the center of a transparent circular vitrine equipped with three electro-magnets evenly spaced around its perimeter. When the visitor presses a brightly colored button, the electro-magnets are activated. The fields produced by the electro-magnets push the permanent magnets located at the ends of the spokes, causing them to swing away in a graceful arc. With proper timing of the electro-magnets, the visitor can cause continuous revolutions creating a simple electric motor.