Question

Ryan is experimenting with core materials for an electromagnet. He slides different core materials through a coil of current-carrying wire. Sort the core materials based on whether they will or won't increase the strength of Ryan's electromagnet.

a) wood
b) steel
c) silver
d) nickel
e) iron
f) glass
Correct options:
a) won't increase
b) will increase
c) will increase
d) will increase
e) will increase
f) won't increase

Answer 1

Ryan's electromagnet will have its strength increased with ferromagnetic materials such as steel, nickel, and iron, while nonconductors like wood and glass or non-ferromagnetic conductors like silver won't increase the electromagnet's strength.

Step-by-step explanation:

Ryan is experimenting with core materials for an electromagnet. When considering materials to increase the strength of an electromagnet, ferromagnetic materials like iron, nickel, and steel are the ones that will increase the strength of the electromagnet due to their ability to be magnetized and to enhance the magnetic field created by the coil. Nonmetallic materials such as wood and glass do not have these properties, so they won't increase the strength of the electromagnet. Silver, while being a metal, is not ferromagnetic and therefore will not substantially increase the strength of an electromagnet.

• Wood won't increase
• Steel will increase
• Silver won't increase
• Nickel will increase
• Iron will increase
• Glass won't increase

Core materials that can be magnetized, like iron and nickel, cause a stronger magnetic effect when combined with the coil of an electromagnet. This is because the domains within the ferromagnetic materials align in a way that significantly enhances the magnetic field produced by the electromagnet.