Lenz's law - magnetic fields and Currents

AI Thread Summary
Lenz's law explains that the induced current in a loop is determined by the change in magnetic flux through it. In the scenarios presented, the current in situation B is equal to that in situation A because the direction and magnitude of the change in flux are the same for both situations. The top half of loop B experiences an increasing magnetic field, while the bottom half experiences a decreasing field, resulting in a net change that matches situation A. This understanding clarifies why the currents are equal despite the differing conditions. The key takeaway is that the change in flux, not the absolute values of the magnetic fields, dictates the induced current.
kidi3
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Hey Pf..

I am trying to understand Lenz's law, but somehow it doesn't make sense.
In my book there is some checkpoints execise to test wheather you've understood what you read about, one those checkpoints looks like this.

http://snag.gy/NCNLh.jpg


I do understand why the current in situation a is the highest since the magnetic field is increasing will it never become zero, and in situation C will the current decrease until become constant (B=0)=> current =0.
But why should the current in situation B be as high as in situation A.. ?
 
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kidi3 said:
But why should the current in situation B be as high as in situation A.. ?
Take note of the direction of the magnetic field in each half of the loop.
 
It's both in and out.. but wouldn't the dec. part go to 0, and lead the B to become ½A..
I can see B would be as high as A in a short moment,should it not be ½A thereby lead B<A
 
kidi3 said:
It's both in and out.. but wouldn't the dec. part go to 0, and lead the B to become ½A..
No.

What matters is the change in the flux through each half of the loop.

In the top half (of B) which way does the field point? Since it's increasing, which way is the change in flux pointing?

Same question for the bottom half. Which way does the field point? Since it's decreasing, which way is the change in flux pointing?
 
Ah.. they all point in the same direction, and since change is equal to the one in situation A, they must be equal in magnitude..
 
kidi3 said:
Ah.. they all point in the same direction, and since change is equal to the one in situation A, they must be equal in magnitude..
Exactly. The change in flux through each half of B points in the same direction, just like it does in A.
 
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