DC Motor

electricity · machines · magnets · motion

Electricity makes magnets. Inside a DC motor, electric current flowing through coils creates powerful magnetic forces that push and pull against other magnets, causing the motor to spin round and round.

Direction must flip. For the motor to keep spinning smoothly, the direction of the electrical current has to switch back and forth many times per second, kind of like how you'd have to push a swing at just the right moment to keep it going.

Everywhere you look. DC motors power countless things in your home and world, from toy cars and electric toothbrushes to wheelchairs, fans, and the tiny motors inside video game controllers.

Magnets do the work. The real magic happens when magnetic forces push against each other, creating the spinning action that turns your motor's shaft and makes things move.

Simple but brilliant. Even though DC motors sound complicated, they've been around for over 150 years because the basic idea of using magnets and electricity to create motion is wonderfully effective.