During last months I’m attending CAP (Curso de Aptitude Pedagóxica, Teaching Ability Course). The subject I chose was “technology”, and we are developing some projects in the classes.
One of that projects was about making a home made electric motor using simple materials: a magnet, coiling copper wire, metal wire, cables, insulating tape and cardboard.
Cut 9 meters of coiling copper wire, loop it around two fingers and wrap it with insulating tape to fix the coil. Make an axis with straight metal wire and pierce the coil with it. Then, using insulate tape, fix the two copper wires in parallel side by side as close to the metal wire as possible, but avoiding short circuiting. Mount the axis over a framework made with cardboard and place the magnet under the coil. Scrape off the insulating varnish from the copper wire and attach two cable brushes to them, trying not to make a short circuit. Connect both cables to a 9V battery, give the coil an initial spin and… what you see is what you get:
I remember making one of those back in high school, they were really cool. we didnt use cardboard though, we had to use plywood which is how I almost cut my finger off when I was 16.