How Do DC and AC Voltages Affect the Movement of an Iron Piece?

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Applying a DC voltage to a wire winding around a horseshoe-shaped iron piece will magnetize the iron, creating a magnetic field with one pole north and the other south, but the iron piece itself may not move. In contrast, applying an AC voltage will cause the magnetic field to fluctuate, potentially inducing movement in the iron piece due to the changing magnetic forces. The effectiveness of movement depends on the distance between the iron piece and the electromagnet, as attraction diminishes with distance. Experimentation is encouraged to observe these effects firsthand. Understanding the principles of electromagnetism is crucial for predicting the behavior of the iron piece in both scenarios.
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Hello guys,

I want to know if I apply a DC voltage to the wire winding then what will happen to the iron piece and why? What if the voltage happens to be AC??
I think that the iron piece will move but how and why, I am not sure...

Thanks for any help
 

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epilot said:
Hello guys,

I want to know if I apply a DC voltage to the wire winding then what will happen to the iron piece and why? What if the voltage happens to be AC??
I think that the iron piece will move but how and why, I am not sure...

Thanks for any help

For background and some equations, check out the Electromagnetic Solenoid portion of this wikipedia page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solenoid

.
 
Thanks, But I couldn't get my response!
 
epilot said:
Thanks, But I couldn't get my response!

What does that mean? Do you have questions about the wikipedia article?
 
This would be a great experiment and easy to do. Try it!

My guess is that the metal bar doesn't move. Running a DC current in a coil around a horseshoe shaped bar will magnetize it with one end of the horseshoe north the other side south depending on the direction of current flow. Essentially you end up with a horseshoe magnet. If you place a metal bar on one end of a horseshoe magnet the attractive forces at contact will be greater than the attractive forces between the end of the metal bar and the other end of the horseshoe electromagnet. Remember attraction lessens with distance.

Get a cheap horse shoe magnet, stick a piece of metal on one end and see if it moves. I am guessing not. That is my hypothesis. Great opportunity to experiment.
 
!
Please be noticed that the under surface happens to be iron as well.
I think the response is something related to the flux in the lower surface.
 
RTW69 said:
This would be a great experiment and easy to do. Try it!

My guess is that the metal bar doesn't move. Running a DC current in a coil around a horseshoe shaped bar will magnetize it with one end of the horseshoe north the other side south depending on the direction of current flow. Essentially you end up with a horseshoe magnet. If you place a metal bar on one end of a horseshoe magnet the attractive forces at contact will be greater than the attractive forces between the end of the metal bar and the other end of the horseshoe electromagnet. Remember attraction lessens with distance.

Get a cheap horse shoe magnet, stick a piece of metal on one end and see if it moves. I am guessing not. That is my hypothesis. Great opportunity to experiment.

epilot said:
!
Please be noticed that the under surface happens to be iron as well.
I think the response is something related to the flux in the lower surface.

Neither of you are reading the tutorial wikipedia article, are you...? :smile:
 
Actually I did look through the Wikipedia solenoid article. Based on epilot's picture it appears that we are talking about an electromagnet. I also reviewed the Wikipedia's electromagnet article. We have a magnet field concentrated in the core of a U shaped electromagnet. A metal bar is placed on one pole of the electromagnet as per the diagram supplied. The question is does the metal bar move when a DC current is applied. Is that correct epilot or am I missing something? I am curious as to what Berkeman thinks will happen.
 
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