Electricity and Magnetism

Stripped Down Motor

An electric motor consists of one or more loops of wire situated between the poles of a magnet. This motor has two loops—a blue one and a red one. When the button is pushed, electric current flows through whichever loop is closer to the magnet. The magnetic field of the magnet pushes against the electric current moving in the loop and makes the motor turns. As the motor turns, the electric current shifts from one loop to the other.