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Introduction to SAT II Physics - FreeExamPapers

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CHARGES MOVING IN A MAGNETIC FIELD create an electric field, just as charges<br />

moving in an electric field create a magnetic field. This is called electromagnetic<br />

induction. Induction provides the basis of everyday technology like transformers on<br />

power lines and electric genera<strong>to</strong>rs.<br />

On average, <strong>SAT</strong> <strong>II</strong> <strong>Physics</strong> asks only one question about electromagnetic induction.<br />

However, less than half of the test takers usually get this question right, so if you get the<br />

hang of this material, you’ll be separating yourself from the crowd. On the whole, this<br />

question will be qualitative, with only a minimum of calculation involved.<br />

Motional Emf<br />

Consider the bar in the figure below. It has length l and moves at speed v <strong>to</strong> the right in<br />

magnetic field B, which is directed in<strong>to</strong> the page.<br />

The field exerts a magnetic force on the free electrons in the bar. That force is<br />

: using the right-hand rule, you will find that the vec<strong>to</strong>r is directed<br />

upward along the bar, but since electrons are negatively charged, the magnetic force<br />

acting upon them is directed downward. As a result, electrons flow <strong>to</strong> the bot<strong>to</strong>m of the<br />

bar, and the bot<strong>to</strong>m becomes negatively charged while the <strong>to</strong>p becomes positively<br />

charged.<br />

The separation of charge in the rod creates an electric field within the bar in the<br />

downward direction, since the <strong>to</strong>p of the bar is positively charged and the bot<strong>to</strong>m of the<br />

bar is negatively charged. The force from the electric field,<br />

, pulls negative<br />

charges upward while the force from the magnetic field pulls negative charges downward.<br />

Initially, the magnetic field is much stronger than the electric field, but as more electrons<br />

are drawn <strong>to</strong> the bot<strong>to</strong>m of the bar, the electric field becomes increasingly stronger. When<br />

the two fields are of equal strength, the forces balance one another out, halting the flow of<br />

electrons in the bar. This takes place when:<br />

Induced Current and Motional Emf<br />

The electric field in the metal bar causes a potential difference of V = El = vBl. If the bar<br />

slides along metal rails, as in the figure below, a closed circuit is set up with current<br />

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