Motors & the Motor Effect
Explain the motor effect as the force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field, and describe how this principle is used in electric motors and loudspeakers
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Motors & the Motor Effect means practising the idea at the table with a simple hands-on check. We will demo once, then your child tries.
Materials: A small toy car or ball; A ramp or book stack and a ruler. 1. Say the goal of Motors & the Motor Effect in plain words once. 2. Adult gives one gentle push and one stronger push, then compares how far the object travels. 3. Child tries three push or pull trials and records which force made a bigger change. 4. Fresh check: one fresh push/pull comparison. Record and stop. Done: three recorded trials with a clear force comparison. Proof: parent note of examples and results. Stop: End after the fresh check; keep optional challenge for another day.
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Practice key ideas from Motors & the Motor Effect.
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Learning resources
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PhET Interactive Simulations · Practice link — not the full lesson
Forces and Motion: Basics
Before you open · source notes
Forces and Motion: Basics supports hands-on exploration for Motors & the Motor Effect. Not every lab worksheet.
Free interactive page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner what they changed in the sim or page and what they observed.
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Source, access and review notes
Public PhET Interactive Simulations page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
PhET Interactive Simulations. “Forces and Motion: Basics.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
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Check understanding
- Explains that a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field experiences a force (the motor effect)
- Predicts how reversing the current or reversing the magnetic field affects the direction of the force
- Describes how the motor effect is applied in an electric motor and in a loudspeaker
“If your child looked inside an electric motor or the back of a loudspeaker, could they explain why the coil of wire moves — and what would happen to the movement if you reversed the direction of the current?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Forces & Motion
- Age range
- Ages 13–14
Standards