FYI--
In 1988, my freshman physics professor ran a competition using a basic
motor design similar to the one described at
<http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/stripped_down_motor.html>. Believe it
or not, the student with the fastest motor won the competition with a
10,000 Hz contraption made from only two "refrigerator-type" magnets, two
paper clips, a D-cell, two thumbtacks, a small block of wood and six feet
of wire. The refinements he built, with these limited materials, included
a conductive core (melted thumbtacks and paper clips) and a brush-type
commutator. It was really quite impressive.
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