Hooked on Science: You can give a nail magnetic powers 9/8/11

You can turn a nail into a magnet with just a few items from around the house.

Materials

* Large iron nail

* Insulated wire

* 9-volt battery

* Wire strippers

* Paper clips

* Tape

Instructions

* STEP 1: Using the wire strippers, remove one inch of insulation from each end of the wire.

* STEP 2: Wrap the wire tightly around the nail. Make sure you leave about 6 inches of wire at each end.

* STEP 3: Using tape, secure one end of the wire to the positive terminal of the battery and the other end of the wire to the negative terminal of the battery.

* STEP 4: Bring the nail close to the paper clips.

Explanation

A magnetic field is created as an electric current flows from the battery through the wire to the nail. Wrapping the wire around the nail causes the nail to become magnetized.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website www.hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindseyhookedonscience.com. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.