Electric motor
Definition
A device that turns electrical energy into motion — the thing spinning inside fans, electric cars, and washing machines.
Unit: newtons (N) for force; watts (W) for output power
Technical definition
A machine converting electrical energy to mechanical rotation via the magnetic force on current-carrying conductors. Commutators or electronic controllers keep the torque pointing the same rotational direction as the rotor turns.
Example
An electric car's motor delivers full torque from zero RPM — which is why EVs accelerate instantly off the line while gasoline engines must rev up first. Regenerative braking runs the same machine in reverse, turning motion back into electricity.
Motors and generators are the same machine run in opposite directions — a motor turns electricity into motion, a generator turns motion into electricity. Students often treat them as unrelated devices, but the physics (electromagnetism) is identical; only the energy flow reverses.