Materials You Will Need:

• Energizer_® Power Pack
• Small, non-metallic bowl
• Needle
• Modeling clay
• Cork—1/4" slice off large end of 3/4" cork
• Horseshoe or bar magnet
• 24" piece of number 22 insulated copper bell wire with approximately 1" of insulation stripped off both ends
• Switch or alternate commercial knife blade switch
• Tape

Please Read Carefully!

All experiments use safe, low-voltage battery power. Household electrical current contains high voltage that could cause serious injury. DO NOT use household electrical current for any of these experiments. ALL experiments should be conducted under adult supervision.

• Carefully follow wiring instructions for each experiment. Improper wiring can result in battery leakage and/or rupture.
• DO NOT take a battery apart. Contact with internal battery material can cause injury.
• DO NOT dispose in fire, recharge, put in backwards, or mix with used or other battery types. This may cause batteries to explode, leak and cause personal injury.

Steps to Create Oersted's Experiment:

1. Stroke needle 50 times from center to one end with magnet. Tape on cork and place in bowl of water.
2. Watch direction of needle when you move magnet near it.
3. Place wire over top of dish. Secure it with clay.
4. Connect one end of wire to switch.
5. Connect other wire end from switch to negative (-) lead of your Energizer_® Power Pack.
6. Connect other wire end from bowl to positive (+) lead of your Energizer_® Power Pack.
7. Close switch. Observe results.

You've done the experiment that Oersted did— and have shown that there's a magnetic field around the circuit wire when the electric current is flowing. When the current flows, the magnetic needle is deflected at right angles to the circuit wire.

This experiment is one of the most important in the utilization of electric power—it led to the discovery of electromagnetism and the development of the electric motor.