Faraday Pickup

Aim
To construct an electromagnet that can pick up as many paper clips as possible.
Materials
Two 1.5 V cells, 5 m of bare wire, 1 pair of scissors, Container of paper clips, Two 15 cm nails, 2 m length of tape
Method
The electromagnet may be constructed using any method
Conditions
• The electromagnet must be constructed using only the materials provided
• The scissors cannot form part of the electromagnet
• Monitored by a judge the paper clips must be picked up from a full container and deposited into another container to be counted
Time Limit
25 minutes
Ranking
The maximum number of paper clips deposited into the second container in any single attempt will determine the ranking order.