Physics - Magnetism

#done
• magnet?
– an object that produces a magnetic field
• What's the pole of a magnet?
– where the magnetic fields are the strongest
• What happens when two magnets are bought together?
– they exert a (non contact) force onto each other
• Attraction and Repulsion of two magnetic poles is an example of what?
– a non-contact force
• What is a permanent magnet?
– A magnetic material that produces its own magnetic field
• What is an induced magnet?
– A material that becomes a magnet when in a magnetic field
• Describe what happens (in terms of the pole) of an induced magnet in a field?
– the force is always attractive, so if the induced magnet is bought into a North pole, the side closest will become South
(opposites)
• When removed from a magnetic field what happens to an induced magnet?
– It loses most/all of its magnetism quickly*
• Magnetic materials examples?
– Iron
– Nickle
– Cobalt
– steel
• Definition of a magnetic field?
– the region around a magnet where a force acts upon another magnet or magnetic material
• The force between a magnetic material and magnet is [...]
– always one of attraction
• The strength of a magnetic field depends on what?
– Distance from the magnet
• Direction of a magnetic field line?
– North to South
• How to use a compass to plot the magnetic field of a magnet?
– the compass always points towards the south pole of a field, so you can move the compass around the magnet and
trace its position on paper
– plot many points around the magnet and join the points
• How are the lines spaced when drawing field lines?
– stronger field strength = closer field lines (closer to the magnet)
• Why must the Earth's core be magnetic?
– A compass if not in a magnetic field will ”North”, so there must be some sort of magnetic field... The Earth's own.
• What happens when a current flows through a conducting wire?
– a magnetic field is produced
• What determines the strength of the magnetic field produced by a wire?
– the current flowing
– distance from the wire
– shaping it like a solenoid
• What is a solenoid and describe it's magnetic field?
– a coil of wire
– strong and uniform magnetic field inside the wire
– like a bar magnet outside
• what's an electromagnet?
– a solenoid with an iron core
• how can the magnetic field strength of a solenoid also be increased?
– adding an iron core
• why do solenoids increase the magnetic field strength produced by the current?
– The magnetic field lines converge, and the strength adds up to form a greater magnetic field strength (compared to a
straight wire)
• Describe the motor effect?
– A force is exerted (on each thing) when a current carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field
• Fleming's left hand rule formula?
– F=BIl
– for a current carrying conductor at right angles to the magnetic field lines
• What affects the size of the force on the conductor?
– Magnetic field strength
– Current
– length of conductor in the magnetic field (e.g. coiling the wire will increase the length so increase the force as a result)
• How do electric motors work?
– A coil of wire in a magnetic field tends to rotate - as either side will have the current flowing in a different direction
so the force on either side will be opposite, causing a rotation
• How do loudspeakers and headphones work?
– they both use the motor effect to convert variations in current to variations in pressure for sound waves (by moving
the cone less or more)
– requires an alternating current - causes the cone to move in opposite directions that fluctuate to vibrate air, cause
pressure variation, and cause sound
• What is induced potential?
– an electrical current will induce a potential difference at the ends of the conductor if it moves relative to a magnetic
field - if the conductor is part of a circuit a current will also be produced
– i.e. the conductor cuts through magnetic field lines to induce a potential difference through itself
• What does the direction of the potential difference depend on?
– the direction of motion between the magnets and wire (changing the magnetic field that the conductor experiences) -
e.g. going up will have the direction go one way, going down another
• What type of magnetic field does an induced current produce?
– One that opposes the original change that made it - so say it was made my moving the conductor through a magnetic
field, the field produced by the current will be trying to oppose that motion - hence a generator when connected in a
circuit will have resistance as the fields will try and oppose the relative motion between magnet and conductor
• What affects the direction of an induced potential?
– direction of relative motion
– the side of the magnets poles being swapped
• Difference between the generator effect and induced potential?
– the generator effect is producing a current by moving a conductor through a magnetic field - this in turn produces
and induced potential difference (which if the conductor is in a circuit will cause a current to be induced)
• what is a soft magnet?
– easy to magnetise and demagnitised
• What affects the strength of the induced potential (in the generator effect)
– speed of movement of the conductor
– strength of the magnetic field
– angle at which the conductor cuts (90 degrees best)
– number of turns of a coil going through the magnetic field
• Why is there resistance when turning a generator in a complete circuit?
–
• Describe energy store changes in a generator?
– Kinetic energy --> electrical energy
– vice versa for motors
• where is the generator effect used?
– In a alternator to generate an AC current
– In a dynamo to produce a DC current
• How do alternators work?
– set up similar to a motor
– a coil rotates in a magnetic field which induces a current in the coil
– slip ring and brushes are used to so the contacts don't swap every turn - switching the poles of the potential
difference every half turn - produces an alternating potential difference
• How do dynamos work?
– Almost the same as a alternator BUT...
 – have a slip ring commutator instead of a slip ring swapping the connection every half turn to keep the current flowing
in the same direction every half turn
• How do split ring commutators and normal slip rings work???????
• Why does the DC motor produce DC?
– a split ring commutator swaps the wires every half turn
• What are microphones and how do they work?
– essentially reversed loudspeakers
– convert pressure variation of a sound wave into variations of electric current using the generator effect
– sound waves hit a flexible diaphragm which is attached to a coil of wire around a magnet
– the vibrations from the sound wave make the diaphragm vibrate, vibrating the coil of wire in the magnetic field,
generating a current
– the movement/speed of the sound wave affects the speed at which the diaphragm moves, hence increasing the current
- this means that variations in the pressure of the sound create variations in an electric current
• How do transformers work?
– consist of a primary and secondary coil wrapped around a soft iron core (which can be easily induced)
– requires an alternating current
– as the current flows through the primary coil, it magnetically induces the soft iron core making it magnetic
– as the current is alternating, the poles of the now magnetic iron core also flip
– this essentially mimics relative motion between the magnet and the secondary coil
– which causes the generator effect to come into play, inducing an alternating potential difference in the secondary coil,
which if in a circuit, will produce an alternating current
– (the wires do not and cannot touch as they are covered in plastic/insulation)
• What is a step down/up transformer and how does it happen?
– step up - the secondary voltage is increased, as there are more turns in the secondary coil
– step down - vice versa
• Describe the power output in a 100% efficient transformer?
– power in primary coil = secondary voil
– as P=IV IV=IV before and after
• What does the ration of potential differences between either coil depend on?
– the ratio of turns in either coil
• Why is a high pd used to transmit power across the national grid?
– Power remains consistent, so by , increasing the voltage must decrease the current - a lower current means that by
power loss (by heating) is directly proportional to the square of the current, so a smaller current is exponentially more
efficient
• Which formula is used to calculate power loss?
–
• Why must a step down transformer be used before the current enters houses?
– to reduce the risk of electric shock
– to prevent damage to appliance due to such a high pd
• What can be used to see the direction of the current and how strong it is?
– galvanometer