Understanding Lenz' Law as it applies to a magnet falling in a tube

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the application of Lenz' Law and Faraday's Law to analyze the behavior of a bar magnet falling through a coil of wire. As the magnet descends, it induces a current in the coil that opposes its motion, resulting in a negative electromotive force (EMF) initially, which becomes zero at the midpoint. After passing the midpoint, the induced current continues to act against the magnet's motion, leading to a higher peak EMF in the latter part of the fall compared to the initial phase. This phenomenon illustrates the principles of electromagnetic induction and the counteractive nature of induced currents as described by Lenz' Law.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction
  • Familiarity with Lenz' Law and its implications on induced currents
  • Basic knowledge of electromotive force (EMF) and magnetic flux
  • Ability to interpret graphs related to electromagnetic phenomena
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the mathematical derivation of Faraday's Law (ε=-NΔΘ/ΔT)
  • Explore practical experiments demonstrating Lenz' Law with magnets and coils
  • Investigate the effects of varying the speed of the magnet on induced EMF
  • Learn about applications of Lenz' Law in electromagnetic braking systems
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, educators teaching electromagnetic theory, and anyone interested in the principles of electromagnetic induction and their real-world applications.

bob12321
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Hi All! This is my first question/post here, so I will try to make it work!

Homework Statement



Ok, so the question is simple-ish.

A bar magnet falls vertically from rest through a coil of wire. The potential difference (pd) across the coil is recorded by a datalogger.

[Click here for picture]

Explain, with reference to Faraday's and Lenz' laws, the shape of the graph.

Homework Equations



Faradays Law (ε=-NΔΘ/ΔT)

The Attempt at a Solution



Now, I understand the concept that as the magnet is falling towards the coil, the coil is cutting through the magnetic flux at a faster and faster rate (and from the equation, must result in a negative EMF that goes more negative).

I also understand that when the magnet is at the middle of the coil, the rate of flux cutting is the same on both sides of the magnet (and thus EMF is instantaneously zero) and, afterwards, the emf is positive as the rate of flux linkage is actually negative (as the magnet is moving away from the coil).

In terms of Lenz' law, I understand that initially, a current will be induced in the coil so as to counteract the motion of the magnet (which is causing the flux linkage). This force will act upwards against the magnet as the magnet falls into the coil initially (and thus the EMF will be somewhat lower than the value without Lenz' law).

What I can't seem to understand is how to rationalise the direction of the Lenz' Law "force" on the magnet after it has passed through the centre of the coil. I presume that since the rate of flux linkage is decreasing, and this is caused by the downward motion of the magnet, the force from the current will act upward to counteract this downward motion. However I do not get how this therefore means that the peak magnitude of the EMF in the second "portion" of the magnet's fall is higher than the peak magnitude of the EMF in the first "portion" of the magnet's fall (as the graph demonstrates). Any help here would be very greatly appreciated!

Kind Regards,

Bob12321 :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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May be the magnet wasn't moving at constant speed.
 

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