Museum of Science and Industry

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Give the coil a gentle spin, and watch what happens. Warning: Disconnect the electric motor when not using, or after a few minutes of use because the circuit will get hot.

Building an electric motor requires patience and tinkering. If your motor doesn’t work, check this:

• Is it on a level surface?
• Is the coil well balanced? It should spin without wobbling.
• Try spinning the coil in both directions. It may work in one direction but not the other.
• Make sure the wires are making good electrical contact with the battery terminals and the paper clips.
• Flip the magnets over so that the opposite pole is facing the coil.
• Make sure the insulation is completely scraped off the arms of the coil.
• Check the clearance between the bottom of the coil and the magnets. It should be about 1 centimeter.
• Make sure the loops in the paper-clip holders are about the same height.

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