About the experiment to find the reactance of inductor

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around an experiment conducted to determine the reactance of an air-core inductor and an inductor with a soft-iron core. Participants analyze the resulting graphs of Vrms against Irms, noting differences in the behavior of the two inductors.

Discussion Character

  • Experimental/applied
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant observes that the graph for the air-core inductor passes through the origin, while the graph for the soft-iron core inductor does not and has a negative y-intercept, seeking an explanation for this behavior.
  • Another participant questions the validity of the results, suggesting the need to analyze potential errors, including the χ2 of the fit and whether the measurements were taken within the linear region of permeability.
  • Concerns are raised about the maximum current measured and the number of turns in the coil, indicating these factors may influence the results.
  • One participant expresses a limitation in sharing experimental data publicly due to its significance for an upcoming public exam, requesting private communication for sharing graphs.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the reasons behind the observed differences in the graphs. There are multiple competing views regarding the potential errors and factors affecting the experiment.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the potential influence of measurement errors, the dependence on the linearity of the permeability, and the specific conditions under which the experiment was conducted, which remain unresolved.

lindacheung66
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I have just done an experiment on finding the reactance of (a)an air-core inductor and (b)an inductor with a soft-iron core.
I have plotted a graph of Vrms against Irms for each experiment.
For the graph in (a), the straight line can pass through origin; yet, for the graph in (b), the straight line cannot pass through the origin, but have a negative y-intercept.
However, I cannot find an answer to explain this.
Could anyone please kindly tell me why the graph in (b) cannot pass through the origin??
 
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It seems to be quite strange result. Have you analysed errors? What is a χ2 of the fit you made and what would be χ2 for a proportional fit (going through 0,0)?
Or maybe you went out of the linear region of permeability? What was the max current you measured and how many turns your coil has?Post your plots if you want more detailed comments.
 
Since this experiment will be counted in the public exam, I cannot post it on the internet.
Would you mind if you give me your email address so that I can send you my graphs?
 
lindacheung66 said:
Would you mind if you give me your email address so that I can send you my graphs?
Sent to you as a private message.
 

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