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gildomar
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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?
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.
Ballistic Lenz's Law is a phenomenon in electromagnetism that describes the induced current in a conductor due to a changing magnetic field. It states that the induced current will flow in a direction that creates a magnetic field that opposes the change in the original magnetic field.
In the case of a copper tube, when a magnet is dropped through the tube, the changing magnetic field induces a current in the copper. According to Ballistic Lenz's Law, the induced current will create a magnetic field that opposes the change in the magnet's field.
Ballistic Lenz's Law has various applications, including magnetic braking systems in trains and roller coasters, magnetic damping systems in mechanical devices, and electromagnetic induction in generators and transformers.
While Faraday's Law of Induction states that the magnitude of the induced EMF is directly proportional to the rate of change of magnetic field, Ballistic Lenz's Law extends this by predicting the direction of induced current. In simple terms, Faraday's Law explains the "how" of electromagnetic induction, while Ballistic Lenz's Law explains the "why."
The strength of the induced current in a copper tube can be affected by various factors such as the strength and rate of change of the magnetic field, the diameter and length of the copper tube, the material of the tube, and the temperature of the tube. Additionally, the presence of any magnetic shielding or materials with high magnetic permeability can also affect the induced current.