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

[gildomar]

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?

 

[Khashishi]

sounds like a cool experiment

 

[Baluncore]

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.

 

[gildomar]

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.