DC Electric Motor

PhysicsElectric & Magnetic FieldsCommunity

Interactive model of a direct current electric motor with a split-ring commutator. Observe Fleming's left-hand rule, forces on the coil sides, magnetic field lines, and how reversing current at every half-turn maintains continuous unidirectional rotation.

Lesson: A DC motor converts electrical energy into rotational kinetic energy. When a current-carrying loop is placed in a magnetic field, opposite sides experience opposite Lorentz forces (F = B I L). The split-ring commutator reverses the current direction through the coil each time it reaches the vertical plane, keeping the net torque in the same rotational direction.

Created by a teacher with Simulic AI and reviewed by the Simulic team.