Question

To pick up a few staples from the table, a student wrapped copper wire around a nail and connected it to a battery. She was able use this device to pick up all staples. How was this possible?

A. The current moving through the wire made the nail into an electromagnet.
B. The staples are responding to the wire because it was made of copper.
C. The electricity from the wire was arcing to the staples.
D. The protons in the staples and are attracted to the electrons in the wire.

Answer 1

The correct answer is A. The current moving through the wire made the nail into an electromagnet.

An electromagnet is created when a current is passed through a wire. The flow of electrons creates a magnetic field, which can attract or repel other magnetic objects. In this case, when the student wrapped the copper wire around the nail and connected it to a battery, the flow of electrons created a magnetic field around the nail. This magnetic field allowed the student to pick up the staples because they were attracted to the nail, which was now acting as an electromagnet.