Lenz's law

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Lenz's law tells the direction of a current in a conductor loop induced indirectly by the change in magnetic flux
through the loop. Scenarios a, b, c, d and e are possible. Scenario f is impossible due to the law of
conservation of energy. The charges (electrons) in the conductor are not pushed in motion directly by the
change in flux, but by a circular electric field (not pictured) surrounding the total magnetic field of inducing and
induced magnetic fields. This total magnetic field induces the electric field.

Lenz's law, named after the physicist Emil Lenz (pronounced /ˈlɛnts/) who formulated it

in 1834,[1] states that the direction of the current induced in a conductor by a
changing magnetic field is such that the magnetic field created by the induced current
opposes the initial changing magnetic field.
It is a qualitative law that specifies the direction of induced current, but states nothing
about its magnitude. Lenz's law explains the direction of many effects
in electromagnetism, such as the direction of voltage induced in an inductor or wire loop
 by a changing current, or the drag force of eddy currents exerted on moving objects in a
magnetic field.
Lenz's law may be seen as analogous to Newton's third law in classic mechanics.[2]

Contents

 1Definition

o 1.1Example

 2Detailed interaction of charges in these currents

 3Conservation of momentum

 4References

 5External links

Definition[edit]
Lenz's law states that the current induced in a circuit due to a change in a magnetic field
is directed to oppose the change in flux and to exert a mechanical force which opposes
the motion.
Lenz's law is contained in the rigorous treatment of Faraday's law of induction, where it
finds expression by the negative sign:

which indicates that the induced electromotive force  and the rate of change in magnetic
flux  have opposite signs.[3]
This means that the direction of the back EMF of an induced field opposes the changing
current that is its cause. D.J. Griffiths summarized it as follows: Nature abhors a change
in flux.[4]
If a change in the magnetic field of current i1 induces another electric current, i2, the
direction of i2 is opposite that of the change in i1. If these currents are in two coaxial
circular conductors ℓ1 and ℓ2 respectively, and both are initially 0, then the
currents i1 and i2 must counter-rotate. The opposing currents will repel each other as a
result.
Example[edit]
Magnetic fields from strong magnets can create counter-rotating currents in a copper or
aluminum pipe. This is shown by dropping the magnet through the pipe. The descent of
the magnet inside the pipe is observably slower than when dropped outside the pipe.
When a voltage is generated by a change in magnetic flux according to Faraday's law,
the polarity of the induced voltage is such that it produces a current whose magnetic
field opposes the change which produces it. The induced magnetic field inside any loop
of wire always acts to keep the magnetic flux in the loop constant. In the examples
below, if the flux is increasing, the induced field acts in opposition to it. If it is
decreasing, the induced field acts in the direction of the applied field to oppose the
change.

Detailed interaction of charges in these currents[edit]

Aluminium ring moved by electromagnetic induction, thus demonstrating Lenz's law.

Experiment showing Lenz's law with two aluminium rings on a scales-like device set up on a pivot so as to
freely move in the horizontal plane. One ring is fully enclosed, while the other has an opening, not forming a
complete circle. When we place a bar magnet near the fully enclosed ring, the ring is repulsed by it. However,
when the system comes to a rest, and we remove the bar magnet, then the ring is attracted by it. In the first
case, the induced current created in the ring resists the increase of magnetic flux caused by the proximity of the
magnet, while in the latter, taking the magnet out of the ring decreases the magnetic flux, inducing such current
whose magnetic field resists the decrease of flux. This phenomenon is absent when we repeat the experiment
with the ring that isn't enclosed by inserting and removing the magnet bar. The induced currents in this ring
can't enclose themselves in the ring, and have a very weak field that cannot resist the change of the magnetic
flux.

In electromagnetism, when charges move along electric field lines work is done on

them, whether it involves storing potential energy (negative work) or increasing kinetic
energy (positive work).
When net positive work is applied to a charge q1, it gains speed and momentum. The
net work on q1 thereby generates a magnetic field whose strength (in units of magnetic
flux density (1 tesla = 1 volt-second per square meter)) is proportional to the speed
increase of q1. This magnetic field can interact with a neighboring charge q2, passing on
this momentum to it, and in return, q1 loses momentum.
The charge q2 can also act on q1 in a similar manner, by which it returns some of the
momentum that it received from q1. This back-and-forth component of momentum
contributes to magnetic inductance. The closer that q1 and q2 are, the greater the effect.
When q2 is inside a conductive medium such as a thick slab made of copper or
aluminum, it more readily responds to the force applied to it by q1. The energy of q1 is
not instantly consumed as heat generated by the current of q2 but is also stored
in two opposing magnetic fields. The energy density of magnetic fields tends to vary
with the square of the magnetic field's intensity; however, in the case of magnetically
non-linear materials such as ferromagnets and superconductors,
this relationship breaks down.

Conservation of momentum[edit]
 Momentum must be conserved in the process, so if q1 is pushed in one direction,
then q2 ought to be pushed in the other direction by the same force at the same time.
However, the situation becomes more complicated when the finite speed of
electromagnetic wave propagation is introduced (see retarded potential). This means
that for a brief period the total momentum of the two charges is not conserved, implying
that the difference should be accounted for by momentum in the fields, as asserted
by Richard P. Feynman.[5] Famous 19th century electrodynamicist James Clerk
Maxwell called this the "electromagnetic momentum".[6] Yet, such a treatment of fields
may be necessary when Lenz's law is applied to opposite charges. It is normally
assumed that the charges in question have the same sign. If they do not, such as a
proton and an electron, the interaction is different. An electron generating a magnetic
field would generate an EMF that causes a proton to accelerate in the same direction as
the electron. At first, this might seem to violate the law of conservation of momentum,
but such an interaction is seen to conserve momentum if the momentum of
electromagnetic fields is taken into account.

References[edit]
1. ^ Lenz, E. (1834), "Ueber die Bestimmung der Richtung der durch elektodynamische
Vertheilung erregten galvanischen Ströme", Annalen der Physik und Chemie, 107 (31), pp. 483–494.
A partial translation of the paper is available in Magie, W. M. (1963), A Source Book in Physics,
Harvard: Cambridge MA, pp. 511–513.
2. ^ Schmitt, Ron. Electromagnetics explained. 2002. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
3. ^ Giancoli, Douglas C. (1998). Physics: principles with applications  (5th ed.). pp. 624.
4. ^ Griffiths, David (2013). Introduction to Electrodynamics. p. 315.  ISBN  978-0-321-85656-2.
5. ^ The Feynman Lectures on Physics: Volume I, Chapter 10, page 9.
6. ^ Maxwell, James C. A treatise on electricity and magnetism, Volume 2. Retrieved 16 July
2010.

External links[edit]
 National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Educational material
 MIT A brief video demonstrating Lenz's law
 A dramatic demonstration of the effect on YouTube with an aluminum block in an MRI
 Eddy currents produced by magnet and copper pipe.
Categories: 
 Magnetic levitation
 Electrodynamics
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 This page was last edited on 22 March 2020, at 14:16 (UTC).

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