Physics

Physics
Project
Project

NAME:PIYUSH SHARMA
CLASS:12
Roll NO:
 Certificate
This is to certify that the project on
“Electromagnetic Crane”
has been successfully completed in partial
fulfillment of the
ALL INDIA SENIOR SCHOOL CERTIFICATE
EXAMINATION (AISSCE 2026)
by Piyush Sharma, Roll no.________ under the
guidance and supervision of Mrs Rashmi Walia
and has been submitted to the Department of
Physics, Army Public School, Shillong

Signature of the
Internal Examiner

Signature of the Signature of the

External Examiner Principal
 Acknowmedgement
I would l ike to express my sincere gratitude to all those
who helped me successfully complete this Physics
project. First and foremost, I thank my Physics teacher,
Mrs Rashmi Walia, for her valuable, guidance,
encouragement, and support throughout the project. Her
insightful suggestions and constant motivation were
instrumental in shaping this work.
I would also like to thank Mr K Gadeon Tarao, our lab
assistant, who guided me throughout the project. I am
thankful to my principal for providing me with the
resources and facilities needed for my experiment. Their
encouragement and motivation pushed me to work hard
and strive for excellence.
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to my
friend Sarthak Kr. Pathak for his collaboration and
teamwork during this project.
I am grateful to my parents for their unwavering support
throughout this project.
AIM:-
To design a simple Electromagnetic
Crane model.
To study the principle of
electromagnetism in lifting objects.
To demonstrate the practical
application of electromagnets in
daily life.
Table of
Contents
INTRODUCTION 01

THEORY 02

MATERIALS REQUIRED 03

CONSTRUCTION 04

WORKING 05

OBSERVATIONS 06

RESULT 07

APPLICATIONS 08

CONCLUSION
09

BIBLIOGRAPHY
10
 Introduction
Electromagnetism is one of the most fascinating and
useful discoveries in Physics. It is the branch of science
that deals with the relationship between electricity and
magnetism. When an electric current flows through a
conductor, it produces a magnetic field around it. If this
conductor is wound into a coil and provided with a soft
iron core, the magnetic effect becomes very strong and
the system behaves like a magnet. Such a magnet, which
works only when current flows through it, is called an
electromagnet. An Electromagnetic Crane makes use of
this principle. It consists of a strong electromagnet
attached to a support, which can be switched on and off
with the help of a current supply. When the current flows,
the electromagnet attracts and lifts heavy iron objects,
and when the current is stopped, the objects drop. This
simple mechanism is widely used in factories, scrap
yards, and warehouses to lift and transport large
quantities of iron or steel safely and efficiently.In this
project, we design a miniature model of an
Electromagnetic Crane using simple materials like copper
wire, an iron nail, and a battery. The project helps us to
understand the working principle of electromagnets,
observe their temporary nature, and realize their
applications in daily life and industries. It also
demonstrates how Physics is applied in real life to solve
practical problems.
 Theory
The study of electromagnetism reveals the deep connection
between electricity and magnetism. According to Oersted’s
experiment (1820), when an electric current passes through a
conductor, it produces a magnetic field around it. This discovery led
to the concept of an electromagnet. An electromagnet is a
temporary magnet made by winding insulated copper wire around a
soft iron core and passing current through it. The current-carrying
coil produces a magnetic field, and the soft iron core becomes
magnetized. However, unlike a permanent magnet, this magnetism
exists only as long as current flows. When the current is switched
off, the magnetism disappears, making electromagnets highly
useful in applications where controlled magnetism is needed.The
strength of an electromagnet depends on several factors:
1.Number of turns of the coil – More turns increase the magnetic
field.
2.Magnitude of current – Higher current produces stronger
magnetism.
3.Material of the core – Soft iron provides maximum
magnetization.
4.Tightness of winding – Neat, compact windings increase
efficiency.
This property of controllable magnetism is applied in the
construction of an Electromagnetic Crane.
An Electromagnetic Crane is a device that uses an electromagnet to
lift, move, and drop heavy iron loads. It works on the simple
principle that when the current flows through the coil, the iron core
becomes a strong magnet and attracts iron objects. When the
current is switched off, the magnetism vanishes, and the objects fall
down. This switching feature makes electromagnets more useful
than permanent magnets.
In industries and scrap yards, huge electromagnetic cranes are
employed to transport large pieces of scrap iron, steel blocks, or
machinery parts. They provide a safe and efficient method of
handling heavy loads without physical contact. The ability to
switch the magnetism on and off instantly gives these cranes a
significant advantage.
Thus, the Electromagnetic Crane model demonstrates the practical
application of electromagnets. By using simple materials like a soft
iron nail, insulated copper wire, and a battery, we can construct a
small crane that successfully lifts and drops small iron objects. This
project not only explains the theory of electromagnetism but also
shows how it is applied in real-world engineering and industry.
Materials Required
Materials Required
Iron nail/bolt (10–12 cm)
Copper wire (insulated, 2–3 meters)
Battery (6V–12V)
Switch
Wooden/plastic base
Hook/thread for suspension
Small iron objects (pins, clips, screws)
 Construction
Selection of Core:
A long iron nail or bolt of about 10–12 cm length was taken to serve as the
soft iron core of the electromagnet. A clean, rust-free piece of iron was
chosen for better efficiency.
Preparation of Wire:
About 2–3 meters of insulated copper wire (enamelled) was used. The
insulation at both ends of the wire was carefully removed so that proper
electrical connections could be made.
Winding of Coil:
The copper wire was wound tightly and uniformly around the iron nail in
several turns. The coils were kept close to each other to ensure maximum
magnetic effect, while leaving around 10 cm of wire free at both ends for
connections.
Mounting the Core:
The nail was fixed firmly on a wooden or plastic base using adhesive tape,
glue, or clamps. In some cases, it was suspended with the help of a hook or
thread so that it could act like a hanging crane.
Circuit Connections:
The free ends of the wire were connected to a battery (6V) through a
switch. All the connections were checked to ensure they were tight and
properly insulated.
Positioning of Crane:
Small iron objects such as paper clips, screws, or pins were placed under
the suspended nail so that the electromagnet could attract them once the
circuit was completed.
Testing the Model:
On switching on the circuit, current flowed through the coil, and the iron
nail became magnetized. The magnetized nail successfully attracted and
lifted the iron objects. On switching off the current, the magnetism
disappeared, and the objects fell off.
 Working
When the circuit is completed by switching on the supply, electric
current begins to flow through the copper wire wound around the iron
nail. According to the principle of electromagnetism, a current-carrying
conductor produces a magnetic field around it. Since the wire is wound
in the form of a coil, the magnetic fields due to each turn combine and
reinforce one another, thereby producing a strong resultant magnetic
field inside the coil. The presence of the soft iron nail as the core further
increases the strength of the magnetic field. Soft iron is an excellent
magnetic material that gets magnetized quickly when placed inside a coil
and loses its magnetism as soon as the current stops. This temporary
magnetization converts the nail into a powerful electromagnet. As a
result, when the crane is brought near small iron objects such as pins,
screws, or paper clips, these objects are strongly attracted towards the
nail and get lifted. The crane thus behaves exactly like industrial
electromagnetic cranes which are used to transport heavy metallic loads.
When the switch is turned off, current stops flowing through the coil.
Consequently, the magnetic field collapses and the soft iron core
immediately loses its magnetism. The attracted objects are no longer held
and hence fall down. This demonstrates the most useful property of
electromagnets — their magnetism can be controlled, i.e., switched on
and off at will.
The strength of the electromagnet (and hence the crane) can also be
varied by:
increasing the number of turns of the coil,
increasing the current in the circuit, or
improving the quality of the soft iron core.
 Observations
During the construction and testing of the Electromagnetic Crane, the
following observations were made:
1. Effect of Current Flow:
When the switch was turned on, the current passed through the
copper coil, and the iron nail immediately behaved like a
magnet.
The nail attracted small iron objects such as pins and paper
clips strongly enough to lift them.
When the switch was turned off, the current stopped, and the
nail lost its magnetism. The objects fell down instantly.
This confirmed the temporary nature of electromagnets.
2. Effect of Number of Turns:
With more turns, the crane could lift a larger number of paper
clips at a time.
3. Effect of Current Strength:
Using a higher voltage source (for example, 9V instead of 3V)
resulted in a stronger electromagnet.
The crane could then lift heavier objects or a larger number of
small objects.
4.Efficiency of Coil Winding:
Tightly and neatly wound coils produced stronger magnetism
compared to loosely wound or overlapping turns.
Smooth, close winding was therefore essential for better
efficiency of the crane.
 Result
From the construction and testing of the Electromagnetic Crane
model, it was observed that the soft iron nail became magnetized
when an electric current passed through the surrounding copper coil.
The nail behaved as a strong temporary magnet and attracted small
iron objects like pins, screws, and paper clips. On switching off the
circuit, the magnetism disappeared immediately, and the objects fell
down.
Thus, the model successfully demonstrated that:
1. Electric current produces a magnetic field, which can be
concentrated by winding the wire into a coil.
2. Soft iron acts as an efficient core and becomes a temporary
magnet when placed inside the coil.
3. The strength of the electromagnet depends on the number of turns
of the coil, the strength of the current, and the nature of the core
material.
4. Magnetism can be switched on and off, making it highly useful in
industrial applications.
Therefore, the project clearly established that a simple electromagnet
can be used in the form of a crane to lift and release metallic objects
in a controlled manner.
 Applications
The principle demonstrated by the Electromagnetic Crane model has a
wide range of practical applications in daily life and industry:
1. Scrap Yards and Factories – Large electromagnetic cranes are
used to lift and move scrap iron, steel sheets, and heavy metallic
objects.
2. Magnetic Separation – Electromagnets are used to separate
magnetic materials from non-magnetic ones in recycling plants
and industries.
3. Electrical Devices – Electromagnets are used in electric bells,
relays, speakers, microphones, solenoids, and motors.
4. Particle Accelerators and Research – In laboratories, powerful
electromagnets are used to bend and control the path of charged
particles.
5. Magnetic Lifting Equipment – In shipyards, construction sites,
and automobile industries, electromagnetic lifters are used for
handling large metallic loads.
6. Medical Applications – MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
machines use strong electromagnets to obtain body scans.
7. Transportation – Electromagnetic principles are applied in maglev
(magnetic levitation) trains which float above tracks and move at
very high speeds.
This shows that the concept demonstrated by a small classroom model
has enormous industrial and technological significance.
 Conclusion
The project on the Electromagnetic Crane successfully illustrated
the principle of electromagnetism and its real-world applications.
The construction and testing of the model proved that:
An electric current passing through a coil produces a magnetic
field.
The strength of the magnetic field is greatly increased by
inserting a soft iron core inside the coil.
The magnetism produced is temporary and can be controlled
easily by switching the current on or off.
Electromagnets are more advantageous than permanent
magnets because of their controllable nature.
Hence, the model not only provided a clear demonstration of
electromagnetism but also highlighted the importance of
electromagnets in industries, research, medicine, and modern
technology. This project shows how a simple scientific principle,
when applied effectively, can become a powerful tool in solving
practical problems of transportation, lifting, and separation.
 Bibliography
NCERT Physics Textbook (Class XII)
Comprehensive Practical Physics (Class XII)
Principles of Physics – S.L. Arora
Wikipedia
The Physics Classroom
Byju’s Physics