the wire is coated with a thin layer of insulation to protect users and other device components from the electricity that passes through it. Magnetic wire is then wound into a coil in order to produce electromagnetic effects, although the wire itself is not magnetic.

Applications

Magnetic wire is used in transformers to increase the voltage of an electrical current that is carried through traditional power lines. Magnetic wire is also used in speakers and headphones to produce sounds. Additionally, magnetic wire is used in motors, potentiometers, and any other system that involves an electromagnet.

Advantages

Magnetic wire can convert an electrical current into a magnetic field. Copper is a particularly good electricity conductor and has little resistance. This keeps electrical currents strong as they pass through each winding of a copper coil, ultimately producing a strong magnetic field. Copper-based magnetic wire is also much smaller than alu- minum-based magnetic wire and can fit into smaller areas. Likewise, copper-based magnetic wire can be bent around corners or jointed to provide maximum efficiency. However, aluminum-based magnetic wire is much lighter than copper.

Disadvantages

Although magnetic wire is advantageous, both aluminum and copper-based magnetic wire have several disadvantages. For example, copper is a much better electricity conductor than aluminum, while aluminum is much cheaper than copper. Likewise, aluminum has a high resistance to electricity, causing it to easily overheat when supplied with large amounts of power.

Vocabulary:

magnetic wire – магнитный провод power supply – источник питания application – приложение, использование layer of insulation – слой изоляции

voltage of an electrical current – напряжение электрического тока electricity conductor – электрический проводник

Electricity and Electronics

Electricity is a form of energy involving the flow of electrons. All matter is made up of atoms, which has a center called a nucleus. The nucleus contains positively charged particles called protons and uncharged particles called neutrons. The nucleus of an atom is surrounded by negatively charged particles called electrons. The negative charge of an electron is equal to the positive charge of a proton, and the number of electrons in an atom is usually equal to the number of protons.

When the balancing force between protons and electrons is upset by an outside force, an atom may gain or lose an electron. And when electrons are "lost" from an atom, the free movement of these electrons constitutes an electric current.

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