How does magnetism produce electricity

An electric current produces magnetism, and a magnet can produce an electric current. The two forces are so closely connected that scientists talk about the single force of electromagnetism. Each electron is surrounded by a force called an electric field. When an electron moves, it creates a second field? When electrons are made to flow in a current through a conductor, such as a piece of metal or a coil of wire, the conductor becomes a temporary magnet?

Stephen G Bosi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Curious Kids is a series for children. Why do we not use the magnetic energy the Earth provides to create electricity? There are two kinds of electrical charge — positive and negative.

Positive charges attract negative charges, but two particles with the same charge both positive or both negative will repel. That means they push apart. Everything you can touch is made of atoms. Read more: Curious Kids: How and why do magnets stick together?

The first is batteries. Many different methods can be used to make the shafts of the generators rotate and produce electricity. In wind turbines, the propeller rotates the shaft. In coal and nuclear power plants, the heat from burning the coal or from the nuclear reaction creates steam to run a turbine that drives the generator. In natural gas-powered plants, a gas turbine does the same job. Power plants need a source of energy that can make the generator shaft rotate, and then the magnets can produce the magnetic fields that generate electricity.

Bert Markgraf is a freelance writer with a strong science and engineering background. Online he has written extensively on science-related topics in math, physics, chemistry and biology and has been published on sites such as Digital Landing and Reference. How to Build a Wind Turbine for Kids.

How to Produce Power With Magnets. Basic Materials Used in an Electrical Generator. How to Store Energy by Using Dynamo. Much of that grid is managed by using principles of magnetism, as well. Generators and motors in everything from hybrid cars to computer hard drives employ magnets, and researchers are currently investigating the potential of rare earth magnets, exceptionally strong permanent magnets composed of alloys of rare earth elements.

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