Chapter 21 Electromagnetism 21.1 Magnetic Field of Currents A current-carrying wire produces a magnetic field around the wire. These fields are concentric cir- cles centered around the wire, becoming weaker further away from the wire and having directions determined by the ighi-hand ride X- ito ©) _ When using the right-hand rule, the thumb points in the direction of the current, while the fingers curl in the direction of the magnetic field. Notice that in the above diagram, each successive concentric circle is further than the last, indicating that the magnetic field strength is weaker further from the wire, A dot represents current coming out of the page, while a cross represents current going into the page. The larger the current in the wire, the stronger the magnetic field around it. The magnetic field produced by a solenoid is shown below: my) ‘ § This magnetic field closely resembles that of a bar magnet. ‘The magnetic field lines within the solenoid are evenly spaced, and the magnetic field within the solenoid can be taken to be uniform. The magnetic field strength in a solenoid can be increased by: (i) increasing the current in the solenoid (ii) increasing, the number of tus of wire per unit length (iii) placing a soft iron core within the solenoid. The polarity of'a solenoid can also be determined by the right-hand rule— fingers are where the current flow, thumb points to the North pole, 3521.2. Force Due to Magnetic Fields In the presence of a magnetic fie \ductor experiences a force. The direction of the force can be determined withfFleming's Le MagneticFeld tv | corent magnetic fields. Where the fields point in the same direction, they add up and become stronger, W] the regions where the fields point in opposite directions result in a weaker magnetic field. The fi acts towards the weaker field Like currents attract, unlike currents repel. Remember that we typically use the conventional current (“movement” of positive charges). The same is true when using Fleming’s leftehand rule, For a hharged particle moving in a magnetic field, if the snged particle has a positive charge, the direction of motion is the direction of current, However, if the charged particle has a neg: to the ive charge, the direction of current is opp« ion of motion. 36Kis D.C. Motors A direct current (d.¢.) motor is a device that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Direct current is passed into a coil placed between two permanent magnets, which causes the coil to rotate: When direct current is passed into the coil, the motor effect causes forces to act on the coil, On each side of the coil, the forces act in opposite directions, causing a torque which turns the coil. Halfa tum later, a torque in the opposite direction would be applied if the current direction is not reversed, which would result in the the coil slowing down and rotating backwards. ‘Thus, a split ring commutator has to be included for the motor to work properly (continuously rotate in the same direction). The purpose of the split ring commutator is to reverse the current in the coil every half turn, so that the torque is always in the same direction, The turning effect of the coil in the d.c, motor can be increased by: 1. Inserting a soft iron core into the coil 2, Increasing the number of turns of wire in the coil Increasing the current in the coil 37Chapter 22 Electromagnetic Induction Faraday’s law states that the magnitude of the induced e.m.f, in a circuit is proportional to the rate of change of magnetic flux in the circuit. Factors affecting the magnitude of the induced e.m.f. are: i. Number of turns in the solenoid ii Strength of the magnet iii Speed at which the magnet moves with respect to the solenoid Lenz’s law states that the direction of the induced e.m.f. (and hence the direction of an induced current in a closed circuit) is always such that its magnetic effect opposes the change producing it 22.1 A.C. Generators To generate alternating currents, a coil is rotated in the presence of a magnetic field. Slip rings are always in contact with the carbon brushes, ensuring that the external circuit is complete. To determine the direction of the induced current, we use Fleminy and rule When the coil is vertical, there momentarily no cutting of magnetic field lines. At this instant, there is rno change in magnetic flux through the coil, thus there is no voltage output. On the other hand, when the coil is horizontal, the coil is cutting the most amount of field lines — the rate of change of magnetic flux is the greatest and hence the output voltage is maximum, 3822.2 Transformers A transformer is a device which alters a.c. voltages. A step-up transformer increases the voltage down transformer decreases the voltage. In a transformer, a primary coil (input) is linked ‘ondary coil (output) via a soft iron core, An altemating voltage in the primary coil creates a changing magnetic field which is linked to the ‘ondary coil via the soft iron core. This induc em. in the secondary coil, based on the number of turns of wire in each coil: In an ideal transformer, 100% of the input power is transmitted to the secondary coil Poa 1Vs = IpVp = P, Thus, we can change the a.c. voltage however we like (by carefully selecting the number of turns of wire in cach coil), and the current will also change accordingly ~ for example, if we step up the voltage, the output current will be lower than the input current. 22.3 Cathode-Ray Oscilloscopes A Cathode-Ray Oscilloscope (CRO) is a device that shows how voltages vary with time, The ¥-gain and time base controls the es on the voltage (y) and time (x) axis respectively. Ge input with the time base off de. input wih the time base on 2. input with a fast time base ‘2. input with a slow time base 39