How to Colonize an Asteroid
How to Colonize an Asteroid
As with positive and negative electrical charges, like magnetic fields repel each other, and opposite fields attract. We can take advantage of these effects to create a device which converts the power of electricity into rotary motion, commonly called an "electric motor". {R.10.162}{R.42.352}{R.43.475}
If you suspend an electromagnet between the north and south poles of 2 fixed magnets, it will rotate into alignment with those poles. If, as the electromagnet is rotating, you switch the direction of current at the right place (thereby reversing the magnetic poles in the armature), the electromagnet in the center will continue to rotate.
I have included some details about the construction of this motor which should allow you to build one of your own, should you so desire.
Electric motors can be made more efficient by using multiple field magnets, multiple armatures, and through ac induction. Different types of electric motors are used for different jobs, such as running your washing machine or moving the arm of a robot. See the references or your local library if you wish to learn more. {R.10} {R.42} {R.43}
© 1998, Robert Lyon Richards