Understand What Makes Electric Motors Work

November 13, 2024  •  EPISODE 239

Join Roger Billings on Science LIVE as he unravels the science behind electric motors. Learn how they work, why magnets are crucial to their operation, and what makes these devices essential in modern technology.

About DrB

Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology. As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.


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217 Comments

  1. Jayden Bowles

    Now that I watched this video, I understand what makes Electric Motors work.

    Reply
  2. Bella Champlain

    What a cool thing to learn, i might learn some more in my own time!

    Reply
  3. Makenna stewart

    I loved learning about the motors and the electric things that go along with it!

    Reply
  4. Brookelyn Cloud

    so glad I could learn more about motors

    Reply
  5. Brandon wordlaw

    Love the dancing robot. I’m going to save my points to get one. Alexa answer me when I am not talking to her to as well.

    Reply
  6. jade champlain

    Electricity is cool to me, because I love lighting!

    Reply
  7. jade champlain

    Electricity is so fascinating!

    Reply
  8. Andrew Gideon hicks

    I have always loved electric motors but this was awsome.

    Reply
  9. Jaylen Yates

    It is cool how much goes into making motors

    Reply
  10. Yocabed kaleb

    I love area 51 because I always learn something new. love these videos.

    Reply
  11. Aaron Madura

    We just bought an electric riding mower. It is so quiet

    Reply
  12. Deion S

    Robots are very cool!

    Reply
  13. EDUARDO CAMPIRANO

    I vote for ACD2 AND YES I WANT BIG MOUTH ON ACELLUS STORE!! R51 IS SOO FUNNY😂😂

    Reply
  14. Renee tarantelli

    I love motors I’m so glad I could learn more about them

    Reply
  15. r

    Motors and fascination goes a long way in our heart. The technologies and inventions stories are very inspiring.

    Reply
  16. Brock Brown

    I love motors

    Reply
  17. Carter Young

    so that’s how they work.

    Reply
  18. Deanna

    Whoa! I’ve always wanted to know how electric motor works! it would be so cool to be able to do that at home!

    Reply
  19. Immanuel Gonzalez

    Wow, this is very cool. I always wanted to see how motors work

    Reply
  20. Lillian Barkan

    Electric motors are so awesome and how they are in so many things that we use today is so fascinating that is the reason why we can travel easier than ever before cars, trucks, planes, and, bikes all are part of this fast-traveling system.

    Reply
  21. Jackson B.

    It is pretty crazy how much goes into making electric motors work.

    Reply
  22. Teagan Oliver

    I’ve always thought magnets and energy were interesting

    Reply
  23. Madisyn Padilla

    My favorite episode so far

    Reply
  24. Calogero

    I didn’t know it worked that way, amazing!

    Reply
  25. James Wood

    The story with faraday and the electric motor was very interesting.

    Reply
  26. Julian

    I didn’t know magnets could power electric motors.

    Reply
  27. julius young jr

    how are electricity and magnets connected?

    Reply
  28. Mazzy

    Never knew how they work! Thank You!

    Reply
  29. Jade

    So that’s how they do it

    Reply
  30. Grace

    Wow this episode was really interesting

    Reply
  31. Isabella Nesmith

    Amazing!

    Reply
  32. Elisiyana Louis

    It’s so fascinating how magnets power electric motors!

    Reply
  33. RyAnna V.

    I learned that there is motors in dancing robots.

    Reply
  34. Karma Z.

    I learned in a electric motor there is a magnets a South Pole and a North Pole.

    Reply
  35. brandon wordlaw

    My dad would let me expeimermet with his drill. The cartoon Roger Billings is so funny.

    Reply
  36. makai wordlaw

    Cool!!!! I would love to learn to make a real motor. I made a lego pull and go car with my brother.

    Reply
  37. Ryleigh Morris

    Love you guys

    Reply
  38. Madi

    Motors help stuff move and operate this means that learning more about motors can really come in handy.

    Reply
  39. Zen McCarthy

    This is shocking…

    Reply
  40. Azlan Shariff

    Very interesting.

    Reply
  41. Mark

    Did Roger Billing built a motors.

    Reply
  42. casey

    cool

    Reply
  43. E l l a R o s e

    Awesome Possum!!!

    Reply
  44. Harley Fricke

    I never knew we used screws to make magnets

    Reply
  45. Jordan Benson

    I made my own electric motor before. Also I have a question wouldn’t the copper wires in the motor (since they are touching ) wouldn’t that lead to a burn?

    Reply
  46. julia grace powell

    robots are so cute!!

    Reply
  47. Yusuf Aboshihata

    cool

    Reply
  48. Aden Neumyer

    I like electric motors.

    Reply
  49. Caiden Hiner

    I liked learning about what makes electric motors work.

    Reply
  50. Laci King

    The robots are so adorable!

    Reply
  51. Kayla

    I love the dancing robots!!!

    Reply
  52. Hailey Wallace

    now i want to also see if i can make a magnet

    Reply
  53. Elijah

    Malachi finally learned Italian and it was for nothing😢

    Reply
  54. Max McCall

    Constant motion is achieved by reversing the polarity of the rotor magnet just as it finishes flipping into place. Doing this means that each pole of the rotor magnet is now attracted to the other pole of the field magnet, so it flips again. Then you reverse the polarity again and so on.

    Reply
  55. Thomas Dulaney

    luckily I like raspberry pie
    but AC-D2 is amazing
    the other one is clumsy
    my vote is little

    Reply
  56. Sasha Golub

    This episode was very interesting 🧐, and its crazy how that little magnet was able to pic up a big tool! very fastenating!!

    Reply
  57. Phillip Golub

    I never knew that people used screws and wires to make a magnet.

    Reply
  58. Adelia Golub

    It is cool that you can make a magnet out of wire and a screw!

    Reply
  59. Eva

    This is so cool! I never would’ve know that motors required magnets.

    Reply
  60. Emilyanne Castrodad

    This is so cool! I never thought I’d learn how electric motors work.
    I’d love to learn about how differing power sources (like solar energy) come into play here, since the coils need a charge to pass through them to become magnetized.

    Reply
  61. David Jacobs

    is this what makes an EV?

    Reply
  62. Jaden

    I need to understand this.

    Reply
  63. Maximilian

    Electric motors are a step in the right direction.

    Reply
  64. Brieanna Wright

    funnnn!!!!

    Reply
  65. Laci King

    haha cool!!

    Reply
  66. Trace Tucker

    i love motors especially working on them

    Reply
  67. Kyle angus

    very cool

    Reply
  68. Michael Tymofy II

    I have a STEM motor kit and it’s so fun

    Reply
  69. Maddison Tymofy

    wow!

    Reply
  70. Harley Gonzales

    Motors are so interesting

    Reply
  71. Megan Hoskins

    Awsome!

    Reply
  72. the boss

    little acd2

    Reply
  73. Magnus Philgence

    That’s so cool I didn’t know that 😀

    Reply
  74. Gabrielle McClean

    The robots participating in a dance competition was so fun I loved it!

    Reply
  75. Jessica Romero

    Woah that’s cool

    Reply
  76. Daniel Cuter

    Wow cool

    Reply
  77. Bradley

    These motors are awsome!

    Reply
  78. Aidan Griser

    the story of faraday discovering the movement of electric motor and the battery was extremely interesting and captivating

    Reply
  79. Bradley

    These motors are so cool!

    Reply
  80. Theodore Dall

    Wow! Thanks

    Reply
  81. Lucian

    cool

    Reply
  82. Makayla cook

    This is a really great video!!

    Reply
  83. Lela Eisele

    Cool

    Reply
  84. Catelyn Barton

    Motors are definitely super cool and interesting!!

    Reply
  85. Drake Rasmussen

    Love this video

    Reply
  86. AT

    Confusion on electric cars so I know that teslas do it but when the motor gets extremely hot the motor catches fire and you cant put it out and another question when the cars are completely charged they only last so long so what do you do when the car quits and does the battery freeze when it is in the winter?????????

    Reply
  87. Maryam S.

    are magnets and electric motors related in there energy?

    Reply
  88. Mayar Saleh

    More of a question than a comment, but what was the first thing that electric motors impacted?

    Reply
  89. Avner Golub

    This is one of my favorite episodes.

    Reply
  90. Liam vesely

    What is the nest way to conserve power.

    Reply
  91. Varvara

    Thank you!! That’s awesome!

    Reply
  92. Levi Parypa

    Yes kit! I would love to make my own motor at home. I love hands on activities.

    Reply
  93. camden a

    I want to learn to code! The robots dancing is funny!

    Reply
  94. trevor fishack

    very interesting video

    Reply
  95. Leeland Whitehouse

    THAT IS AWASOME

    Reply
  96. Zach Hamp

    I love how motors work

    Reply
  97. Caleb Felker

    Great video! I think the dance-off should be a tie.

    Reply
  98. Mila

    My dad works on motors and say electronic ones are no good and we should stick with good old gas motors!

    Reply
  99. Nylah McMillan

    I vote the monster spider creature and the guys that did the dance.

    Reply
  100. Russell Mattsson

    Russell Mattsson my grandpa has a tesla ,they are very cool

    Reply
  101. Carmela Myers

    love this!

    Reply
  102. Deangelo lumpkin

    I love it

    Reply
  103. dylan

    Interesting video I love the idea of electric motors.

    Reply
  104. Kevin Crane

    It is always fun to learn new things about motors

    Reply
  105. Aaron Crane

    This was a good episode. I like watching these

    Reply
  106. Brianna Smith

    Is there anything that could substitute as the magnet in a electric motor?

    Reply
  107. Isra-Lana Alsanabani

    I really enjoyed this episode!

    Reply
  108. Tehillah Turner

    My laptop has a motor.

    Reply
  109. karsyn mitchell

    this was an interesting topic !

    Reply
  110. Sade

    Wow.. this concept is so cool. This video taught me so much!

    Reply
  111. Colby Floyd

    Yes kit that would be fun

    Reply
  112. Luke

    I love it

    Reply
  113. Ava Cleveland

    HAPPY Thanksgiving

    Reply
  114. Eliyanah F

    this is so cool

    Reply
  115. Lego kid

    Bro the hexapod was so cool I love the dance

    Reply
  116. Muhsin

    love it. This video explains electric motors perfectly!

    Reply
  117. NICOLE L. ROMAN ORTIZ

    nice video!

    Reply
  118. Rose

    this video was very interesting and I learned a lot of thing about motors

    Reply
  119. LaiLa

    As a dancer myself, seeing bots dance was awesome lol

    Reply
  120. zoe

    yes kit

    Reply
  121. Lauren

    WOW

    Reply
  122. Siena

    Loved watching this episode and it was really interesting learning about dc motors.

    Reply
  123. Nadia Sherfey

    That’s awesome!!! Yes kit

    Reply
  124. zoe

    cool

    Reply
  125. Jahden Henry

    I vote big, because that cranberry pi-bot becauuse even though it has more akward bot moments but it is also a better dancer.

    Reply
  126. Barrett Pirtle

    very interesting how the magnet electric machine works! I wonder if that’s how some other machines are built.

    Reply
  127. Henry Tucker

    What are some other things Michael Faraday has done?

    Reply
  128. dave sandoval

    this is so cool

    Reply
  129. Paxton Sherfey

    Very interesting

    Reply
  130. Tino Salazar

    I cant wait to learn more about motors!

    Reply
  131. Ashton

    The spider-like thing was so cool!

    Reply
  132. Sage Davis

    yes kit

    Reply
  133. Will Ferguson

    I’ve always wondered how motors worked they are in so many things.

    Reply
  134. Heilo Yates

    The little robot can do ballet!!!

    Reply
  135. Aysha J.

    I like this one!

    Reply
  136. alyssandra

    Very informative! 👍

    Reply
  137. Brian Sells

    it’s crazy to think about all of the difrent was that we can make magnets.

    Reply
  138. Chloe Wandrei

    I did not realize until this episode that magnets could be turned on and off.

    Reply
  139. Lydia

    I love this

    Reply
  140. Javier Nunez

    This will go amazing with my science studies.

    Reply
  141. Claire Bilek

    Thank you for the tips for getting better grades. It helped me a lot more than you think. I vote for the spider like robot to win.

    Reply
  142. Olivia

    This video was very helpful on helping me understand motors.

    Reply
  143. Jennifer Steele

    This is great information.

    Reply
  144. Dixie

    🥰🫰 Bro this is so Cool i Love it❤️

    Reply
  145. Olivia Rose Brennan

    nice!

    Reply
  146. Ava Nelson

    Wow

    Reply
  147. Hunter Snapp

    Wow!

    Reply
  148. Tyler Whitsel

    motors are awesome

    Reply
  149. Jessi

    this was such an interesting lesson!

    Reply
  150. Max

    I want to make my own scooter with an electric motor

    Reply
  151. treshad

    what’s electrolysis?

    Reply
  152. Reagan Price (Georgia)

    Which has a longer longevity electric or traditional motors? What everyday technology do we use that also uses magnets?

    Reply
  153. Josiah Alkire

    HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  154. Aliyah McCracken

    so cool

    Reply
  155. Aviles R

    evolution of anything is so cool to see! Imagine if some of the motor’s leading pioneers got to see where motors have gone today.

    Reply
  156. master ishavon

    this is so cool

    Reply
  157. Jordan Campbell

    the dancing robots are hilarious

    Reply
  158. Kennedy

    Great lesson, electric motors are a great invention.

    Reply
  159. Josiah Alkire

    Just like Max, I live in Virginia too. It is so cool that Acellus students are all over the world!

    Reply
  160. Vsevolod Chumachenko

    What motor kits will we have?

    Reply
  161. Catherine Burt

    This was a really interesting video. Thanks!

    Reply
  162. Gunnar Bendorf

    Amazing! R-51 is very entertaining 😀

    Reply
  163. Griffin McIntyre

    Wow! Cool to learn about electric motors.

    Reply
  164. Kyleigh

    very interesting

    Reply
  165. Jonathan A.

    Thats an interesting fact that notes help you study better, because I use the Google Docs on my computer to take notes for my Acellus subjects.

    Reply
  166. Hàn Chí Nguyên

    WOW

    Reply
  167. Kate Bettison

    The little robot can do ballet! That one is my favorite.

    Reply
  168. Kyndal

    fun!!!

    Reply
  169. Beenish Hashmi

    thank you for teach us how to make electric motor works.

    Reply
  170. Asher Levi Puska

    👍

    Reply
  171. Jeremiah Wade

    I thought it was very cool when you showed how to build an electromagnet.

    Reply
  172. Reece Brown

    I understand how they work and this was a great video.

    Reply
  173. Katelyn Byrne

    Checking in.

    Reply
  174. Jade

    What was the IQ of the inventor of the inventor who made the first one? Did he go to school?

    Reply
  175. Susanna Belska

    “all of us celebrities will be moving to canada” lmao

    Reply
  176. Alexandra Embery

    Thank you for the information. 🙂

    Reply
  177. Lilli

    such a cool subject

    Reply
  178. mackenzie curley

    sounds interesting

    Reply
  179. Alana

    Learning about how electric motors work is interesting.

    Reply
  180. Jean A.

    I’ve always been fascinated by how electric motors work, but never fully understood them. Now thanks to Dr. B I understand them fully and now know who to make simple ones. So thank you very much for this awesome video!!!

    Reply
  181. sydney wells

    how does the motor tell everything else to move?

    Reply
  182. Barrett Zaph

    Yes kit please

    Reply
  183. Ranulph zapf

    I like motors

    Reply
  184. Catalina Jasmin Romero Leyva

    what is the difference between electroic motors and regular motors, and which is more effective?

    Reply
  185. Ezra Zarzycki

    This was excellent at teaching how electric motors work! We need this to start engines, power fans, and do more daily life things!

    Reply
  186. Kyleigh Adkins

    I find all of these videos interesting

    Reply
  187. Hunter Parsley

    People that take notes score higher then people who don’t take notes. The people that take notes score about 13% higher

    for the others out there take notes it will help you get through life

    Reply
  188. Matthew

    what are the key components that make an electric motor work.

    Reply
  189. Jessica

    I always wondered about motors. It’s so cool that it can send signals. science is the best. Who agrees👍🏻 reply.

    Reply
  190. Brayden Rainwater

    i love electric motors

    Reply
  191. Ryker Dugger

    It is so cool on how electric motors work! You guys are awesome for letting us kids know this stuff!

    Reply
  192. Andrew Lecce

    Mr. Tobias is cool!

    Reply
  193. zoe

    wow soo cool i like this epoisod and i was the first to do a comment ;]

    Reply
  194. Mason Duke

    I love what makes motors work

    Reply
  195. Mason Duke

    I like motors and love how they work

    Reply
  196. Dominik

    amazing science live keep up the good work guys

    Reply
  197. cahya

    did u find the mars meteor

    Reply
  198. Emily cook

    i thought it was cool when they need electricity to work a compass.

    Reply
  199. Taylor Phillips

    Nice video, really fascinated by the electric motor system and the ways it can be used.

    Reply
  200. Steven

    Excellent video! Electric cars seem like a good way to reduce our dependence on gas and save money on gas. It’s just that my thing about electric cars is that when the Electricity turns off, what will charge your car?

    Reply
  201. brinley

    I loved this episode

    Reply
  202. Kpop

    Interesting

    Reply
  203. Luis Daniel Prendiz Burgess

    Right that it is totally fair for R-51 to have a video intro? I mean, everyone else has one and R-51 is also part of Science Live.

    Reply
  204. Justin Boily

    This was a great session and I enjoyed it.

    Reply
  205. Rahmatullah Nematy

    I vote for AC-D2

    Reply
  206. Kiara Anne Ubeda

    Thank you science live and the teachers

    Reply
  207. elie doyle

    science is soooooo amazing

    Reply
  208. Ashley cook

    A moter is in a fan?

    Reply
  209. Jada R.

    I liked the spider-like mechanism. It looks very advanced and efficient.

    Reply
  210. #Savannie

    So cool!!!! I love this website. Acellus changed my life so much!!!

    Reply
  211. Will Ferguson

    The segment on getting better grades really helps.

    Reply
  212. Leon Cutler

    Motors are cool! For some reason, my comments never work when it is put in watch now.

    Reply
  213. Leon Cutler

    What about pulse modification radio (pm)?

    Reply
  214. Josiah Alkire

    O my goodness R-51 nearly made me die from laughter!!!!!! I WANT A BIG MOUTH!!!(A toy one, not a real one lol) Also I think that the motor kits are a really good idea. I voted for the spider-like robot.

    Reply
  215. Max Rovira

    Can you magnetize every metal?

    From Max Rovira in Virginia

    Reply
  216. Alvin g

    Wow!

    Reply

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