Average current around a magnetic loop that changes its shape

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the average current induced in a magnetic loop that changes shape, specifically a semicircular loop rotating in a magnetic field. Participants are exploring the relationship between electromotive force (emf), area, and current in the context of Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to use formulas for emf and area to calculate the induced current but finds discrepancies in their results. Some participants suggest revisiting the fundamentals of Faraday's law to find the average emf instead of the maximum. Others propose calculating the total charge that flows through the loop and dividing by the time taken for a quarter revolution.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the problem, offering different approaches and questioning the assumptions made by the original poster. Some have recalculated their results and found agreement with the expected answer, while others emphasize the importance of understanding the average current versus peak current.

Contextual Notes

There is a noted confusion regarding the definitions of average and peak current, as well as the time-varying nature of the current in this scenario. The problem statement's emphasis on "average" current is highlighted as a critical aspect of the discussion.

Alefan_
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Homework Statement
The picture shows a loop formed by two semicircles linked together by the straight sections of a wire. The loop and the dotted line lie on the same plane.
The smaller semicircle, which has a radius of 0.20m, starts rotating with an angular speed of ω=1.5 rad/s around the dotted line until it gets into a position that's perpendicular to the bigger semicircle (B).
A constant magnetic field of B= 0.35 T is directed upwards, perpendicular to the plane where the loop lies.
The loops resistance is R=0.025 Ω
Find out the induced loop current I while it changes its form, hoing from picture A to B.
Relevant Equations
V=R×I
fem=ω×A×B
Semicircle Area=½×π×r^2
20200113_174058.jpg


To find out what the induced loop current was i used the formula:
V=R×I

To find out what the value of V was i used the formula that links electromotive force (fem) to angular speed:
Fem=ω×B×A

The only thing that's missing is the loops area but considering that it's a semicircle and that the radius value was given I used this formula:
A=½×π×r^2

Substituting all of the values the answer comes out as incorrect, I'll leave a photo of my procedure here:

20200113_174112.jpg


The result comes out as 1.31 A while it should be 0.84 A, what's wrong with my procedure?

Thank you to anyone who will help.
 
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The formula ##\varepsilon = \omega AB## is not going to give you the correct result. This formula is for finding the maximum emf induced in a loop of area ##A## rotating in a uniform magnetic field. You need to find the average emf induced when the smaller semicircle rotates through a quarter turn.

I recommend that you go back to basics. According to Faraday's law, the average induced emf is given by

##\overline {\varepsilon} = \frac{\Delta \Phi}{\Delta t}##. Find an expression for ##\Delta \Phi## in terms of ##B## and ##r##. Find an expression for ##\Delta t## in terms of ##\omega##.
 
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A different approach would be to find the total charge ##\Delta Q## that flows through the semicircle and then divide that by the time ##T## is takes the loop to rotate by a quarter revolution. Note that $$\Delta Q=\int_0^T I~dt=\frac{1}{R}\int_0^T\frac{d \Phi}{dt}dt=~?$$
 
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I have nothing to add to TSny's post except that my answer was about 5% higher than the given one.
EDIT: On recomputing I also got exactly 0.84A. My bad.
 
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rude man said:
I have nothing to add to TSny's post except that my answer was about 5% higher than the given one.
I got exactly the given answer, no rounding.
 
kuruman said:
I got exactly the given answer, no rounding.
I concur. I also got the given answer, 0.84 A, exactly (no rounding necessary).

@kuruman's method is the correct approach here. The tricky bit is that the problem statement is asking for the "average" current (not the "peak" current). That, and the current is not a constant value -- it's time varying. To complicate things further, the current does not vary linearly with time, it varies sinusoidally with time [wink, wink (i.e., that's a hint)].

So, to solve for the "average" current, the steps are
  • Find an expression for the instantaneous current as a function of time.
  • Integrate over time from t = t_0 = 0 to t = t_1 to find the total charge Q, such that \theta_1 = \omega t_1 = \frac{\pi}{2}.
  • Calculate i_{ave} by dividing the charge by t_1 (i.e., i_{ave} = \frac{Q}{t_1}).
 

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