Electric motors

• An electric motor converts electrical energy into kinetic energy
• This is caused by the interaction of the electrical field of the coil and
• The magnetic field of the magnets in the motor
• A current carrying wire moves when it is placed in a magnetic field

The basic fields of a wire and magnetic field and how they create movement

• This is because the wire has a field around it that looks like the one shown above
• The area around a magnet is called a magnetic field
• It is has lines of force emanating from the poles of the magnet
• The fields between the poles look like the ones shown in the diagram above
• When these two fields: the wire’s field and the magnet’s field are
• Superimposed on top of one another they change shape
• The resultant force, due to the interaction of these two forces
• Pushes the wire downwards as shown in the diagram above
• An electric motor is a perfection of this technique

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