You are on page 1of 29
 
Physics
204
6.1 I
NTRODUCTION
Electricity and magnetism were considered separate and unrelatedphenomena for a long time. In the early decades of the nineteenth century,experiments on electric current by Oersted, Ampere and a few othersestablished the fact that electricity and magnetism are inter-related. They found that moving electric charges produce magnetic fields. For example,an electric current deflects a magnetic compass needle placed in its vicinity. This naturally raises the questions like: Is the converse effect possible?Can moving magnets produce electric currents? Does the nature permit such a relation between electricity and magnetism? The answer isresounding yes! The experiments of Michael Faraday in England and Joseph Henry in USA, conducted around 1830, demonstratedconclusively that electric currents were induced in closed coils whensubjected to changing magnetic fields. In this chapter, we will study thephenomena associated with changing magnetic fields and understandthe underlying principles. The phenomenon in which electric current isgenerated by varying magnetic fields is appropriately called
electromagnetic induction 
. When Faraday first made public his discovery that relative motion between a bar magnet and a wire loop produced a small current in thelatter, he was asked, “What is the use of it?” His reply was: “What is theuse of a new born baby?” The phenomenon of electromagnetic induction
 
Chapter Six
ELECTROMAGNETICINDUCTION
 
ElectromagneticInduction
205
is not merely of theoretical or academic interest but alsoof practical utility. Imagine a world where there is noelectricity – no electric lights, no trains, no telephones andno personal computers. The pioneering experiments of Faraday and Henry have led directly to the development of modern day generators and transformers. Today’scivilisation owes its progress to a great extent to thediscovery of electromagnetic induction.
6.2T
HE
 E
XPERIMENTS
 
OF 
 F 
 ARADA
 
 AND
H
ENRY 
 The discovery and understanding of electromagneticinduction are based on a long series of experiments carriedout by Faraday and Henry. We shall now describe someof these experiments.
Experiment 6.1
Figure 6.1 shows a coil C
1
*
 connected to a galvanometer G. When the North-pole of a bar magnet is pushedtowards the coil, the pointer in the galvanometer deflects,indicating the presence of electric current in the coil. Thedeflection lasts as long as the bar magnet is in motion. The galvanometer does not show any deflection when themagnet is held stationary. When the magnet is pulledaway from the coil, the galvanometer shows deflection inthe opposite direction, which indicates reversal of thecurrent’s direction. Moreover, when the South-pole of the bar magnet is moved towards or away from thecoil, the deflections in the galvanometer are oppositeto that observed with the North-pole for similar movements. Further, the deflection (and hence current)is found to be larger when the magnet is pushedtowards or pulled away from the coil faster. Instead, when the bar magnet is held fixed and the coil C
1
 ismoved towards or away from the magnet, the sameeffects are observed. It shows that
it is the relative motion between the magnet and the coil that is responsible for generation (induction) of electric current in the coil 
.
Experiment 6.2
In Fig. 6.2 the bar magnet is replaced by a second coilC
2
 connected to a battery. The steady current in thecoil C
2
 produces a steady magnetic field. As coil C
2
 is
*
 Wherever the term ‘coil or ‘loop’ is used, it is assumed that they are made up of conducting material and are prepared using wires which are coated with insulatingmaterial.
FIGURE 6.1
 When the bar magnet ispushed towards the coil, the pointer inthe galvanometer G deflects.
 Josheph Henry [1797 – 1878]
 
 American experimentalphysicist professor at Princeton University and first director of the SmithsonianInstitution. He made important improvements in electro-magnets by winding coils of insulated wire around ironpole pieces and invented anelectromagnetic motor and a new, efficient telegraph. Hediscoverd self-induction andinvestigated how currents inone circuit induce currents inanother.
 J  O S EH HENR (   9  8  8  )  
 
Physics
206
moved towards the coil C
1
, the galvanometer shows a deflection. This indicates that electric current is induced incoil C
1
. When C
2
 is moved away, the galvanometer shows a deflection again, but this time in the opposite direction. Thedeflection lasts as long as coil C
2
 is in motion. When the coilC
2
is held fixed and C
1
 is moved, the same effects are observed. Again,
it is the relative motion between the coils that induces the electric current 
.
Experiment 6.3
 The above two experiments involved relative motion betweena magnet and a coil and between two coils, respectively. Through another experiment, Faraday showed that thisrelative motion is not an absolute requirement. Figure 6.3shows two coils C
1
 and C
2
 held stationary. Coil C
1
 is connectedto galvanometer G while the second coil C
2
 is connected to a  battery through a tapping key K.
FIGURE 6.2
Current isinduced in coil C
1
 due to motionof the current carrying coil C
2
.
FIGURE 6.3
 Experimental set-up for Experiment 6.3.
It is observed that the galvanometer shows a momentary deflection when the tapping key K is pressed. The pointer in the galvanometer returnsto zero immediately. If the key is held pressed continuously, there is nodeflection in the galvanometer. When the key is released, a momentory deflection is observed again, but in the opposite direction. It is also observedthat the deflection increases dramatically when an iron rod is insertedinto the coils along their axis.
6.3 M
 AGNETIC
 F 
LUX
Faraday’s great insight lay in discovering a simple mathematical relationto explain the series of experiments he carried out on electromagneticinduction. However, before we state and appreciate his laws, we must get familiar with the notion of magnetic flux,
Φ
B
. Magnetic flux is defined inthe same way as electric flux is defined in Chapter 1. Magnetic flux through
   I  n   t  e  r  a  c   t   i  v  e  a  n   i  m  a   t   i  o  n  o  n   F  a  r  a   d  a  y   ’  s  e  x  p  e  r   i  m  e  n   t  s  a  n   d   L  e  n  z   ’  s   l  a  w  :
     h    t    t    p   :     /     /    m     i    c    r    o .    m    a    g    n    e    t .     f    s    u .    e     d    u     /    e      l    e    c    t    r    o    m    a    g    n    e    t     /     j    a   v    a     /     f    a    r    a     d    a    y     /     i    n     d    e   x .     h    t    m      l

Reward Your Curiosity

Everything you want to read.
Anytime. Anywhere. Any device.
No Commitment. Cancel anytime.
576648e32a3d8b82ca71961b7a986505