The basic ideas behind electromagnetic induction were discovered in the 1800's by Oerstead, Gauss, and Faraday. By 1820, it was discovered that an electric current produces a magnetic field. Soon a simple DC rotary motor was invented. William Sturgeon invented the commutator and his motor was first to provide continuous rotational motion. His motor, built in 1826, contained all of the elements present in modern DC motors.
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| Sturgeon's Motor |
How Do Motors Work
Motors convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. An electromagnet is the basis of a motor. Motors use the basic principles of magnets: opposites attract and likes repel. A motor uses this principle to create rotational motion. Once the north end of the armature (the nail in the image below) reaches the north end of the field magnet it does a half turn downwards. At this point the magnet field flips causing another half turn motion and so forth.
Essentially, motors work by combining two electric fields so that they are opposite each other, which causes rotational motion. One electric field is created by wrapping two L shaped brackets with 14 gauge solid lamp wire. The second field is created by wrapping copper magnet wire around the armature. This attraction and repelling of the poles causes the armature to spin rapidly.
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