Calculating Force Between a Solenoid and a Cylindrical Magnet

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the force between a solenoid and a cylindrical magnet, particularly when the magnet is moving towards the solenoid. Participants explore various approaches to this problem, including the implications of Lenz's law and the complexities involved in dynamic scenarios versus static calculations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes the challenge of calculating the force between a solenoid and a cylindrical magnet, referencing Lenz's law and the lack of clear resources for such calculations.
  • Another participant emphasizes that the problem is not a magnetostatics question and that the opposing force is influenced by dynamics such as the relative speed of the magnet and solenoid, the rate of change of magnetic flux, and the R/L time constant of the solenoid.
  • A participant mentions the difficulty of finding an analytical solution due to the inhomogeneous magnetic field from a bar magnet and suggests that numerical methods may be necessary.
  • There is a discussion about the lack of closed-form solutions for the calculations, with one participant suggesting that simpler geometries allow for analytical solutions.
  • One participant quotes from course notes about the repulsive force experienced by the bar magnet as it approaches the loop, questioning whether the opposing force can be calculated at a specific moment.
  • Another participant points out that using the static repulsive force between two identical bar magnets may overestimate the actual force, depending on the situation and specific conditions such as proximity and resistance of the wire loop.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility of calculating the force analytically versus numerically, with no consensus on a specific method or solution. The complexity of the problem and the influence of various factors lead to ongoing debate.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in finding straightforward calculations due to the dynamic nature of the problem and the inhomogeneous magnetic fields involved. The discussion reflects a reliance on numerical simulations rather than closed-form solutions.

abdo799
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I've read a lot and watched a lot about lenz's law , about how a magnet moving towards a solenoid will experience an opposing force. But I tried to search how to calculate this force , found nothing .
So i tried to find how to calculate force between 2 magnets . Found on wikipedia how to calculate force between 2 magnetized areas, 2 cylindrical magnets and 2 dipoles ( very basic , resembling coulombs law). So , which one should i use when calculating force between solenoid and the cylindrical magnet moving towards it ?
 
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I assume you are speaking of a shorted solenoid? If yes, then the answer is neither because this is not a magnetostatics question. The opposing force depends on the dynamics--the relative speed of magnet and solenoid, the rate of change of magnetic flux in the solenoid, and the R/L time constant of the solenoid. These are more complicated calculations than your statics case.
 
marcusl said:
I assume you are speaking of a shorted solenoid? If yes, then the answer is neither because this is not a magnetostatics question. The opposing force depends on the dynamics--the relative speed of magnet and solenoid, the rate of change of magnetic flux in the solenoid, and the R/L time constant of the solenoid. These are more complicated calculations than your statics case.

Lets say it's a wire loop , is there a webpage or a book where i can find those calculations?
 
I took a quick look at webpages and didn't find this problem worked out. It's not simple due to the difficulty of finding the inhomogenous field from a bar magnet and integrating it to find the flux in the loop as the magnet approaches. You will end up solving it numerically (e.g., Matlab).

This link solves similar problems and shows how force depends on motion for a simpler geometry:
"ocw.mit.edu/.../faradays-law.../faradays-law/MIT8_02SC_notes21.pdf‎"
One of the problems asks for qualitative solutions to your scenario--but as I indicated, there is no closed-form analytical solution.
 
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marcusl said:
I took a quick look at webpages and didn't find this problem worked out. It's not simple due to the difficulty of finding the inhomogenous field from a bar magnet and integrating it to find the flux in the loop as the magnet approaches. You will end up solving it numerically (e.g., Matlab).

This link solves similar problems and shows how force depends on motion for a simpler geometry:
"ocw.mit.edu/.../faradays-law.../faradays-law/MIT8_02SC_notes21.pdf‎"
One of the problems asks for qualitative solutions to your scenario--but as I indicated, there is no closed-form analytical solution.
the link doesn't work, is there another one ?
So you're saying that i won't find those calculation because they are so complicated?
 
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abdo799 said:
the link doesn't work, is there another one ?

Hmm. Try cutting and pasting the following line into Google

Course notes: Faraday's law of induction- mit ocw

The first link listed should be the one.
abdo799 said:
So you're saying that i won't find those calculation because they are so complicated?
Yes. It has no closed form solution, so you'll need to simulate the answer numerically. Solutions to problems with simpler geometry (typically involving a uniform magnetic field) can be written down analytically.
 
quoting from notes 21 :" Therefore, as the bar magnet approaches the loop, it experiences a repulsive force due to the induced emf. Since like poles repel, the loop must behave as
if it were a bar magnet with its north pole pointing up"
Can we calculate the opposing force at a certain moment?
 
The static repulsive force between two identical bar magnets will be an overestimate of the actual force. By how much depends on the situation. It becomes a good approximation when
a) the loop is close to the magnet so it intersects much of the magnet's flux
b) the wire loop has no resistance
 

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