Final answer:
Iron, nickel, and steel are ferromagnetic materials that can increase the strength of an electromagnet, whereas wood, glass, and silver are not ferromagnetic and will not enhance the magnet's strength.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ryan is working on an experiment to determine which core materials will increase the strength of an electromagnet when placed inside a coil of current-carrying wire. Based on the properties of different materials, core materials for an electromagnet can be sorted into categories of those that will increase the magnet's strength and those that will not.
Ferromagnetic materials, which include iron, nickel, and steel (an alloy primarily composed of iron), have domains within their structure that can align with a magnetic field, thereby enhancing the magnet's strength. These materials are effective when combined with an electromagnet, as their alignment of domains produces a stronger magnetic effect.
In contrast, nonmetal materials like wood and glass, as well as metals that do not exhibit strong magnetic properties like silver, cannot significantly increase the strength of an electromagnet because they are not ferromagnetic and thus their internal structure does not support domain alignment in the presence of a magnetic field.