How does and electric motor work?

Diagram 1

Diagram 2

The core of an electric motor is an electromagnet with a north and a south pole. The
horseshoe magnet around the electromagnet also has a north and South Pole. The opposite
poles attract each other causing the electromagnet to rotate. This works fine until the point
when the electromagnet reaches a completely vertical position and stops. At this point you
must flip the field of the electromagnet to complete another half turn. To achieve this, the
commutator and the brushes have to work together. When the axle holding the
electromagnet spins, the commutator (the rubber band in diagram 2) spins with it and each
brush makes contact with a different side of it each time, reversing the field. The
commutator and brushes cause the electric field to change direction each time.