Transformers and Magnets in Motion

Joseph Norman, Jack DuCoeur, Trenton Redman

Table 2, Section 54

31 March 2022

Jinming Zhang

PHYS 212 L, Department of Physics, University of Idaho, Moscow, 83843

Introduction
In this week’s lab, the properties of Faraday’s law of induction will be further
investigated. As concluded last week, generators are extremely important and useful devices in
the modern world and are the focus of this lab.
The two main types of transformers are step-up and step-down transformers. As the
names would suggest, these transformers step, or covert, voltage up and down. The voltage
induced in these transformers are described with the below two equations:

Equation 1

Equation 2

𝑑𝛷
In both equations V is the instantaneous voltage, N is the number of loops, and is the
𝑑𝑡
change in magnetic flux with respect to time. The p and s subscripts denote primary and
secondary voltages. Combining these two equations yields the following equation relating the
voltage to the number of loops at the primary and secondary positions:

Equation 3

This equation can be used to find and unknown voltage or loop count when three of the
variables are known.

Setup
Materials
• Two green coil solenoids
• Insulated copper wires
• Magnet
Diagram
The above listed materials are set up as shown below for their respective experiments:
 Experiment 1

Experiment 2

Experiment 3

With experiment 2 being identical to experiment 1, with the coils now being hand wound.

Procedure
Experiment 1:
Predictions
For this experiment, we predict that when the primary coil is moved though the
secondary, a significant voltage will be induced in the secondary.
Procedure
-Step 1: Assemble circuit as shown in setup
-Step 2: Turn AC power source to 4V and activate output
-Step 3: Turn on oscilloscope to channel 1
-Step 4: Move the primary coil through the secondary and capture results on oscilloscope
Data/Calculations
The image captured on the oscilloscope for this experiment is shown below:

Experiment 1 Result

Analysis/Compare with Prediction

The result of this lab is what we predicted, with the voltage increasing as the secondary
coil is moved into the primary coil. The maximum voltage appears to happen when the coils are
most aligned, or when the secondary coil is fully inserted into the primary. The maximum
voltage recorded of 80mV is lower than expected but can be accounted for with losses due to
imperfect equipment.
Conclusion
This basic experiment demonstrates the phenomenon of Faraday’s law of induction in a
transformer well, showing how current can be transferred from one coil to another with no
physical connection.

Experiment 2:
Predictions
For this experiment we predicted that as the number of loops increases, the maximum
output voltage will also increase. We predicted that the ratio of the number of loops to output
voltage would stay proportional no matter if the number of loops is being reduced or added.
Procedure
-Step 1: Set the voltage on the signal generator to 20 volts
-Step 2: Create two copper coils, one being the primary with 20 loops in the coil, the other being
the secondary with 10 loops in the coil.
-Step 3: Record the maximum output voltage
-Step 4: Increase the number of loops in the secondary coil by 10
-Step 5: Record the new maximum output voltage
-Step 6: Repeat the previous steps 4 more times or until the coil has a total of 50 loops.
Data/Calculations
The following five photographs below show the display of the oscilloscope which had
measured the voltage from the secondary coil.

Primary Coil: 20 loops, Secondary Coil: 10 Loops

Primary Coil: 20 loops, Secondary Coil: 20 Loops

Primary Coil: 20 loops, Secondary Coil: 30 Loops

Primary Coil: 20 loops, Secondary Coil: 40 Loops

 Primary Coil: 20 loops, Secondary Coil: 50 Loops

The data measured while following the procedure mentioned above was recorded onto a
table shown below:

Experiment 2 Measured Data

The table above was converted into a graph to visualize the comparison of the number of
loops in the secondary coil and the max output voltage, this graph is shown below:

Experiment 2 Graph of Measured Data

Analysis/Compare with Prediction
The first four values measured followed our predictions with each measured max output
voltage increased linearly as we increased the number of loops. The measured max output
voltage is not perfectly proportional as Faraday’s law implies that it should, but this may be due
to poor equipment. The oscilloscope was constantly inconsistent until the wires connecting the
circuit had been moved into various positions, then maybe the oscilloscope would show a
somewhat reliable picture. The fifth value appears to not follow the linear pattern that the first
four values had given us. There are a couple of theories on why this may be. The first being the
inconstant oscilloscope, and the second could be due to slight change in our copper wire. We
decided to cut the copper wire after 50 loops, theoretically the length of the wire should not of
effected the measured max output voltage but there may have been some unknown effect to the
voltage caused by cutting the wire.
Conclusion
Experiment 2 shows a clear linear relationship between how the primary and secondary
number of loops will affect the max output voltage measured. This relationship is shown in
Equation 3 which was derived from Faraday’s law of induction. Most of our data for this
experiment demonstrates Faraday’s law of induction and shows the influence that a step-up and
step-down transformer has on the measured voltage.

Experiment 3:
Predictions
In this experiment we predict that when the magnet passes through the coil, the
oscilloscope will display a moment of deflection and then return to the original current.
Procedure
-Step 1: Connect the given coil to the signal generator and the oscilloscope
-Step 2: Drop a magnet through the coil
-Step 3: Record the deflection on the oscilloscope in that moment
Data/Calculations
 Experiment 3 Oscilloscope Picture

Analysis/Compare with Prediction

As can be clearly seen, when the magnet was dropped through the coil in this experiment,
there was a brief, but powerful spike in voltage. This aligns with what we predicted and is also
surprisingly similar to the previous lab’s results. Both labs revealed ~0.5V max when the magnet
was dropped through. This similarity is likely due to the fact that the acceleration of gravity is
constant, making Δt in Faraday’s law similar for both experiments. This consistent value will
tend to keep the induced voltage similar as well, as can be seen in the equation:

Faraday's Law of Induction

Conclusion
This more detailed version of the optional experiment from the previous lab is useful to
demonstrate the strong voltage that can be induced in a coil from a magnet moving through it.
While brief, 0.5V is an impressive result from a simple magnet and shows how a well-
engineered generator could produce extremely high power.

Summary
What’s Learned
This lab serves to demonstrate the behavior of coils in a transformer and further prove
Faraday’s law of induction. This principle used in countless scenarios in the real world and
seeing how it works firsthand is interesting.
Faraday’s law of induction states that as the number of coils in the secondary coil go up,
the voltage induced will also go up. This proved true in our experiments, with the voltage
consistently increasing as more coils were added to the secondary. This fundamental idea is what
allows voltage and current to be varied simply and efficiently in practical applications.
Transformers are used frequently in the real world to covert electric current into the form
it is needed in. In power lines, voltage is extremely high to make for efficient transfer of power
over long distances. This extremely high voltage would obviously not work well in a household
or other building, so transformers are used to step the voltage down, and make it useable in a
household. This is done again often, as 120V from power outlets is converted to lower voltage
for use in consumer electronics.

Typical Distribution Transformer on Power Lines

It is also fascinating to see again how a magnet can induce voltage in a coil by simply
being dropped through it. This phenomenon is effectively transforming potential energy in the
form of the mass of the magnet at an elevated height, to electrical potential. From an outside
perspective, this would seem impossible, but an understanding of Faraday’s law and the physics
of electricity make it tangible.

Suggestion/Improvement
The readings in experiment 2 were extremely inconsistent, making it very difficult to get
good data. This could possibly be improved by having premade coils ready, removing some of
the room for error with students creating new coils and filing off the wire coating.
Extra Comment
No extra comment.