See-Thru Science

Seeing is believing. In these animations, we show you what electricity and magnetism might look like if they weren't invisible.

How Capacitors Work

Capacitors can store electrical energy and discharge it quickly, powering things like flash bulbs and starter motors.

How DC Motors Work

DC motors make things like appliances and power tools work by converting electrical energy to mechanical energy. Find out how.

EMF, or electromotive force, refers to the voltage created by a battery or by a changing magnetic field. Counter EMF, also called Back EMF, is a related phenomenon that we will illustrate in this animation.

How Ignition Coils Work

Conventional automobiles burn gasoline in an internal combustion engine and convert that energy into motion. But first a spark is needed to ignite the fuel mixture. This animation shows how a 12-volt battery generates the high voltage required to create such a discharge.

How Microwaves Work

You use it to pop popcorn and heat up soup. Now learn what happens behind the microwave door.

How MRI Machines Work

Watch how radio waves and strong magnets combine to create pictures of the inside of our bodies.

How Oersted Discovered Electromagnetism

Watch how Hans Christian Oersted discovered quite by accident in 1820 that electricity and magnetism are related.

How Research Electromagnets Work

Take a journey into the center of a one of our magnets to watch an experiment on graphene, one of many things scientists study at the MagLab.

How Van de Graaff Generators Work

Used originally to charge particles in atomic accelerators, Van de Graaff generators are now used mostly to educate students about electrostatics. See how they generate the static electricity that can make your hair stand on end.