Final answer:
When you place the electromagnet created by looping a wire around a piece of steel and connect it to a battery near an iron nail, the nail will be attracted to the electromagnet due to the magnetic field induced by the current in the wire.
Step-by-step explanation:
If an electromagnet is formed by looping a wire numerous times around a piece of steel and powered by a battery, when it is placed near an iron nail, the nail would be attracted to the electromagnet. This is because the current in the wire creates a magnetic field around the steel, magnetizing it. The steel becomes a temporary magnet, known as an electromagnet, which will have the same basic characteristics as a permanent magnet. It will have a north and south pole, and as iron is a ferromagnetic material, the created magnetic field of the electromagnet will induce magnetism in the nail, causing it to be attracted and possibly stick to the electromagnet.
As demonstrated in various educational resources, such as PhET simulations, when you flow current through a wire looped around a ferromagnetic core like steel, the core turns into an electromagnet. To make it a stronger electromagnet, one could increase the number of wire loops or the current. Similar principles are observed in PhET simulations involving bar magnets and compasses, emphasizing the dynamic interactions in magnetic fields.