Phy 155 Lab 7 Magnetic Fields

MAGNETIC FIELDS

SUMMARY
You will measure how the magnetic field, B, produced by a coil varies with the current, I.
You will verify the direction of the field and measure how the field changes as you move away from
the coil along its axis. You will then use a magnet to induce a voltage in the coil.

THEORY
The magnetic field B at the center of a circular coil of
radius R, with N turns of wire, and a current I is
𝜇𝑜 𝑁𝐼
𝐵𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 2𝑅 , (1)
where μ0 is the vacuum magnetic constant and is defined as
𝜇0 = 4𝜋 × 10−7 Tesla∙m/Amp. A sketch of the circular coil is
given in Figure 1, where the field is directed along the axis of
the coil. The field is fairly uniform within the coil, but falls
off as you move away from the center of the coil along the
axis. Measured along the axis of the loop, a field a distance Figure 1. Schematic of circular coil.
z from the center of the coil is
𝜇 𝑁𝐼𝑅2
𝐵 = 2[𝑅2𝑜+𝑧2 ]3/2 . (2)
Instead of applying a current and inducing a magnetic field, one can apply a changing magnetic field
to induce a voltage. This is how power is generated by a hydroelectric generating station. The
voltage V induced in a single-turn coil by a changing magnetic flux, Φ, is
𝑑𝜙
𝑉= . (3)
𝑑𝑡
For a single loop of wire the flux, Φ, is perpendicular to a magnetic field B and given by
𝜙 = 𝐵𝐴 , (4)
2
where A is the area of the loop, 𝐴 = 𝜋𝑅 . The voltage induced in a multi-turn coil by moving a
magnet through it is approximately given by
Δ𝐵
𝑉 = 𝑁𝐴 , (5)
Δ𝑡
where N is the number of turns in the coil, A is the area of the coil, ΔB is the maximum field
produced by the magnet, and Δt is the time required to move the magnet through the coil. Equation
5 is a crude approximation of Equation 3 to avoid doing difficult integrals. However, the equation can
be used to estimate the order of magnitude of the expected voltage.

REFERENCE
Serway, section 30.4, covers the magnetic field of a coil (solenoid).

PRE-LAB QUESTIONS
There is no prelab for this experiment. You may find it helpful to review Serway, section 30.4

EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURE

Note: The power supply and coil can get hot! Turn off the power supply when you are not actually
making measurements to reduce the risk of fire.

1. SET UP THE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

Purpose: To setup the system, to understand how the magnetic field sensor works, to take initial
measurements of the magnetic field, and obtain parameters for the coil itself.

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1.1. OPEN LOGGERPRO

In the Physics II Experiments folder open the “magfield”
LoggerPro file.
1.2. CONFIRM SETTING OF MAGNETIC FIELD SENSOR
Look on the side of the magnetic field sensor, and confirm
that the sensor is on the 6.4 mT setting. Figure 2 is a
sketch of the sensor, and shows the direction of the
magnetic field it detects, as well as where the detection Figure 2. The magnetic field sensor
point is on the sensor. is only sensitive to fields in the
1.3. ZERO READING direction shown.
Place the sensor inside the coil (with the power supply still
off) and zero the reading by clicking on the “zero” icon.
1.4. CONNECT POWER SUPPLY TO COIL
Connect the coil of wire to the power supply in series with a multimeter set as an ammeter on the
10/20 A setting, as shown in Figure 3. To do this, connect a red wire from the positive terminal on
the power supply to the 10/20 A socket on the multimeter. Connect a red wire from the “com” socket
on the multimeter to the positive connection on the coil. Connect a black wire from the negative
connection on the coil to the negative terminal on the power supply
1.5. TURN ON POWER SUPPLY
Turn on the power supply and turn the coarse current and voltage knobs to maximum. In this lab we
will set up the power supply to be current limiting. This is necessary because, as you saw for the light
bulb in the Ohm’s Law lab, the resistance of the wire will increase as the wire heats up. If you set the
voltage at a fixed value, the current will drop with time as the coil
of loop heats up. Since the magnetic field depends on the current,
it too will change and make your readings confusing. When the
current limit lights up on the power supply, the supply is trying to
keep the current constant. If you leave it at the maximum value, it
can’t succeed, because as the coil heats up, it will require more
voltage, and the voltage is already at a maximum. You have to
reduce the current the power supply is trying to maintain for it to
be successful. Figure 3. Schematic for the
1.6. REDUCE CURRENT first circuit.
Reduce the current to ~¾ of the maximum value shown in the
multimeter until the little red light above the current dial turns on. Record your reading.
1.7. PLACE SENSOR IN COIL
Place the end of the sensor at the center of the coil, along the axis of the coil, as shown in Figure 4.
1.8. FIND FIELD MAXIMUM
Watch the value of the magnetic field in the little “meter” box on the screen and slowly move the
sensor around the central part of the coil. Record the value.
1.9. BEND SENSOR
Look on the side of the sensor. There are two white perpendicular
lines near the hinge. These lines denote the two directions the end
of the sensor can be rotated to. Bend the sensor up at the hinge in
the direction denoted by the perpendicular white lines.
1.10. FIND FIELD MINIMUM
Return the sensor to the center of the coil. The sensor is now
measuring the field perpendicular to the axis. Look at the magnetic
field readings.
Figure 4. Field sensor
inserted along coil axis.

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1.11. MEASURE FIELD VS TIME

Straighten the probe out again and hold it at the center of the coil in the orientation that maximizes
the observed field. Click on “Collect” to display the field versus time. Note that the field oscillates
slightly. This is due to the power line noise in the power supply.
1.12. TURN OFF THE POWER SUPPLY
Without touching the knobs, turn the power supply off.
1.13. FIND THE FIELD STATS
Use the “stat” tool to determine the mean and standard deviation of the field. Calculate the percent
uncertainty. Remember, %𝑢𝑛𝑐 = 100% × 𝜎/𝑎𝑣𝑒.
1.14. RADIUS OF COIL AND N
Measure the diameter, 2R, of the coil of wire, and compute the radius R of the coil. Remember to
convert to meters. Record the number of turns of wire in the coil, N = 500.
1.15. CALCULATE 𝝁𝒐
Use Excel to compute μo. According to Equation 1,
2𝑅𝐵 𝜇
𝜇0 = 𝑁𝐼 with an approximate deviation 𝜎𝜇0 ≈ 𝐵0 𝜎𝐵

2. FIELD VS CURRENT
Purpose: To find μo by measuring the magnetic field B for several different currents I.

2.1. SETUP EXCEL

Set up a table in Excel to record the value of current (from the ammeter) and the field (from the
sensor). Remember to convert the units of the field to Tesla.
2.2. TURN ON POWER SUPPLY
Turn on the power supply, and make sure the red light is on. If it isn’t, repeat Parts 1.5 & 1.6.
2.3. SENSOR IN COIL
Place the end of the sensor at the center of the coil, seen in Figure 4, and hold it as steady as
possible. Record the values of B and I in Excel.
2.4. REPEAT MEASUREMENT
You will now obtain 6 more values of B and I by incrementally turning the current down on the power
supply and recording the new current and field. Start near your maximum current value and end
with a small current value. It doesn’t matter which 6 values of current you choose, so long as they
are different.
2.5. TURN OFF THE POWER SUPPLY
Turn off the power supply.

2.6. PLOT B VS I
Plot the field versus current in Excel and obtain a slope by fitting a trendline. To see more than one
significant digit, right click on the numerical value of the slope within the box on the plot, select
format trendline label, scientific notation, then choose 3 digits.

2.7. PERCENT UNCERTAINTY IN SLOPE

Because both the current and field are oscillating slightly, the percentage uncertainty in the slope is
roughly twice the percentage uncertainty in the field (as obtained in Part 1.13).

2.8. COMPUTE 𝝁𝒐
Use Excel to compute μo. According to Equation 1, the slope is given by
𝐵 𝜇𝑜 𝑁 2𝑅𝑠
𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 = 𝑠 = = , 𝑡ℎ𝑢𝑠 𝜇0 = . (6)
𝐼 2𝑅 𝑁

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2.9. UNCERTAINTY IN 𝝁𝒐
The percentage uncertainty in μo is approximately equal to the percentage uncertainty in slope
Compute the uncertainty in μo. (see Part 1.13.)

3. B VS Z
Purpose: To measure the rate at which the magnetic field drops off as the sensor is moved away
from the coil. You will repeat the experiment twice, once with the current going through the coil one
way, and then again with the current going through the coil the opposite way. This is done to obtain
more accurate results.

3.1. PLACE RULER IN COIL

Lay a ruler through the coil so that it sticks out along the coil axis
(See Figure 5). There are black pieces of wood with groves in
them for the rulers to rest on. It is easiest if you place the 50 cm
mark of the ruler at the center of the coil.
3.2. SETUP EXCEL
Open a new sheet in Excel. In cells A1–H1, enter “N”, “I”, “R”, “z”,
“Bfirst”, “Bsecond”, “Bave”, and “Bcalc“. Record your values for N and R
in cells A2 and C2. The radius should be in meters. Be sure to
include units for all variables.
3.3. TURN ON POWER SUPPLY
Turn on the power supply. Increase the voltage and current knobs
to maximum. Decrease the current until the red light turns on, then
decrease the current to ~¾ of that value.
3.4. RECORD CURRENT
Record the current and leave it fixed.
Figure 5. Setup for section 3.
3.5. PLACE SENSOR IN COIL
Hold the end of the sensor at the center of the coil, near the top edge of the ruler. To keep the
sensor steady, you can rest it on the ruler.
3.6. RECORD VALUES AT Z=0
This is your z = 0 cm position. Record z, and the magnitude (absolute value) of the field as Bfirst.
Make sure your current is in Amps, your distance in meters, and the magnetic field in Tesla.
3.7. RECORD VALUES FOR CHANGING Z
Move the sensor away in 1 cm increments and record the values of z and the field, Bfirst, for the
range of z = 0 – 12 cm.
3.8. TURN OFF THE POWER SUPPLY
Without touching the knobs, turn off the power supply.
3.9. REVERSE THE CURRENT DIRECTION
Reverse the direction of the current by swapping the red and black connections on the coil.
3.10. REPEAT MEASUREMENTS
Turn the power supply back on, and repeat the measurements again for each z value. Enter the
magnitude (absolute value) of the field as Bsecond.
3.11. TURN OFF THE POWER SUPPLY
Turn off the power supply.
3.12. COMPUTE AVERAGE B FIELD
For each distance z, compute the average of the two values of the magnitude of B. To do this, in
G2, enter “=(E2+F2)/2”, and fill down.

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3.13. COMPUTE THE THEORETICAL B FIELD

Compute the theoretical value of B in column H, using Equation 2. For example, in H2 enter:
“=(4*PI()*10^-7*$A$2*$B$2*$C$2^2)/(2*($C$2^2+D2^2)^1.5)”, and fill down.

3.14. PLOT B VS Z
Plot the average and calculated values of B vs. z together on one plot. To do this, highlight your
average values of B and z, and create a scatter plot. Right click on one of the data points, and click
on “select data”. Highlight “Series 1” and click on “edit.” For the name, type in “B ave”, and click
“ok.” Click on “add series”. Type in “B theory” for the name. Click on the icons next to the x and y
inputs, and highlight the appropriate data. Click “ok”.

4. INDUCING A VOLTAGE IN A COIL

Purpose: To use a magnet to induce a voltage in a coil. This is more of a demonstration of how
electricity is generated – don’t expect really accurate results.
*** Keep the magnet away from the computer and other electrical devices***
4.1. SIGN OUT A MAGNET
Sign out a numbered magnet from your TA. You will not receive a grade for your data if the
magnet is not returned.
4.2. MEASURE B FIELD OF THE MAGNET
Hold the sensor parallel to the magnet and roughly 10 cm
away, and measure the approximate value of the field. See
Figure for the correct orientation.
4.3. SETUP COIL FOR MEASUREMENT
Disconnect the power supply and the ammeter from the coil.
Remove the meter stick from the coil. Connect the voltage Figure 6. Magnet aligned with
sensor to the coil (red clip to white socket, black clip to black field sensor. Not to scale.
socket).
4.4. PLACE MAGNET THROUGH COIL
Hold the magnet, so the long end lines up with the coil axis, and put your hand through the coil.

4.5. OBTAIN DATA Figure 7. Graphs of sample voltage peaks.

Click on “Collect”, and wait for the
computer to start collecting data.
Jerk the magnet out of the coil as
quickly as possible. You should see
a tiny induced voltage spike appear
on the plot. It may take several tries
to make this happen.
4.6. ZOOM IN ON VOLTAGE SPIKE
When you have a voltage spike,
select the data, and use the “+” icon
to expand the plot. You should see
something resembling one of the
plots in Figure . It doesn’t matter if
the first spike is positive or negative
– it only denotes the orientation of
the magnet with respect to the coil
(as in, the north pole of the magnet
was initially pointed towards/away
from the coil).

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4.7. RECORD VALUES

Record the values for Δt and V as measured off the plot, and shown in Figure . Use the “Examine”
(X=) feature from LoggerPro to read to precise value. Again, it doesn’t matter if you choose the first
or second spike. However, the spike with the larger voltage tends to give better data. Whichever
spike is chosen, make sure the absolute value of the voltage is recorded.
4.8. EXPECTED VALUE OF VOLTAGE
Use Equation 5 to get your calculated value of V. Use your measured value of the field (Part 4.2) of
the magnet for ΔB. Remember, Equation 5 is only useful for estimating the order of magnitude of
the expected voltage. Label and print or save your plot.

5. WRITEUP QUESTIONS
1) From initial field readings (Parts 1.8 and 1.10) what is the ratio of the field minimum
to the field maximum?
2) Do your values of μo (Parts 1.15 and 2.8) agree within the experimental uncertainty to
the theoretical value? Don’t forget to state your measurement with uncertainty.
3) Is your measured V comparable to the calculated value to within an order of
magnitude? Don’t forget to state your measurement with uncertainty.