Ballistic Lenz's Law: Magnet Induced Current in Copper Tube

AI Thread Summary
A magnet moving rapidly towards a copper tube can induce a current strong enough to potentially melt or vaporize the tube, depending on the speed of the magnet. The term "fast enough" refers to a velocity that generates sufficient current to achieve this effect. If the copper tube is not securely held, it may be dragged along with the magnet, preventing it from melting immediately. Additionally, the tube could experience significant compression against its mountings, leading to heating through both compression and resistive (I2R) effects. Overall, the interaction between the magnet and the copper tube presents interesting physical phenomena worth exploring.
gildomar
Messages
98
Reaction score
2
If a magnet was going fast enough as it approached/entered a copper tube, could the current induced in the tube via Lenz's Law be high enough to melt or even vaporize the tube?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
sounds like a cool experiment
 
Yes. Because “fast enough” must be interpreted as “fast enough to melt the tube”.
If the tube was not firmly held it might be dragged with the magnet before it could melt.
It is also possible that the copper tube would be pressed against it's solid mountings with sufficient force to heat the material by compression. The compressive and I2R effects would combine to melt the copper tube.
 
  • Like
Likes gildomar
Baluncore said:
Yes. Because “fast enough” must be interpreted as “fast enough to melt the tube”.
If the tube was not firmly held it might be dragged with the magnet before it could melt.
It is also possible that the copper tube would be pressed against it's solid mountings with sufficient force to heat the material by compression. The compressive and I2R effects would combine to melt the copper tube.

Good point; I hadn't considered about the tube possibly being dragged along, or the compression heating.
 

Thread '1:1 versus 2:1 Mechanical Advantage debate'

The rope is tied into the person (the load of 200 pounds) and the rope goes up from the person to a fixed pulley and back down to his hands. He hauls the rope to suspend himself in the air. What is the mechanical advantage of the system? The person will indeed only have to lift half of his body weight (roughly 100 pounds) because he now lessened the load by that same amount. This APPEARS to be a 2:1 because he can hold himself with half the force, but my question is: is that mechanical...
View full post »

Thread 'Newton's first law?'

Some physics textbook writer told me that Newton's first law applies only on bodies that feel no interactions at all. He said that if a body is on rest or moves in constant velocity, there is no external force acting on it. But I have heard another form of the law that says the net force acting on a body must be zero. This means there is interactions involved after all. So which one is correct?
View full post »
Thread 'Beam on an inclined plane'

Thread 'Beam on an inclined plane'

Hello! I have a question regarding a beam on an inclined plane. I was considering a beam resting on two supports attached to an inclined plane. I was almost sure that the lower support must be more loaded. My imagination about this problem is shown in the picture below. Here is how I wrote the condition of equilibrium forces: $$ \begin{cases} F_{g\parallel}=F_{t1}+F_{t2}, \\ F_{g\perp}=F_{r1}+F_{r2} \end{cases}. $$ On the other hand...
View full post »

Similar threads

I Does Diamagnetism Occur Even in a Constant Magnetic Field?
Replies
7
Views
2K
Induced current and force on circular loop in varying magnetic field
Replies
4
Views
963
Can Graphene Wire Coils Replace Copper in Generators?
Replies
15
Views
2K
I Magnet falling though copper pipe
2
Replies
59
Views
6K
How do Eddy Currents Affect a Magnet's Motion in a Copper Tube?
Replies
4
Views
2K
B 4 Questions About Lenz's Law Experiment
Replies
20
Views
5K
Lenz's law and instantaneous change in inductor's current
Replies
3
Views
2K
Will a Magnet and Copper Tube Hourglass Be Accurate Due to Lenz's Law?
Replies
2
Views
2K
Motional EMF for loops of wire vs conducting plates
Replies
9
Views
2K
How does this hoverboard work?
Replies
6
Views
3K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top