ELECTROMAGNETISM

What is Electromagnetism?
Electromagnetism is a branch
of physics involving the study of
the electromagnetic force, a type
of physical interaction that occurs
between electrically
charged particles.
 Hans Christian Oersted

• One of the leading scientists of

the 19th century, played a crucial
role in understanding
electromagnetism.
•Oersted had discovered that an
electric current is surrounded by a
magnetic field.
Electromagnet
Is an magnet that can be switched on and off. It is solenoid
with a core. The strength of an electromagnet can be made
stronger by increasing the number of turns on the core.
After Oersted’s discovery that electricity produces magnetic
field, scientists experimented with the opposite possibility.
Michael Faraday – an English scientist, discovered that
a moving wire through a magnetic field could cause an
electric current.

He concluded that when a wire is moved through a

magnetic field, a current is generated in the wire. This
process of generating current by the relative motion
between a wire and magnetic field is called
electromagnetic induction.

Joseph Henry made a similar discovery. A

current produced by a magnetic field is an
induced current.
 Applications of Electromagnetic Induction

What is Generator?
A generator operates on the principle of electromagnetic
induction. A generator is a device that converts mechanical
energy to electrical energy.
Types of Generators
• An a.c generator is a rotating loop in a magnetic field
which generates current that fluctuates in value and
changes direction every half-rotation of the loop.

• A simple d.c generator is a rotating loop in a magnetic

field which generates current that fluctuates in value but
does not change direction.

•The only difference between the simple a.c and simple

d.c generator makes use of a split ring commutator.
What is motor?
One of the most important uses of electromagnetism is in
the electric motor. An electric motor is a device that
converts electrical energy to mechanical energy. A motor
contains a movable electromagnet.
What is transformer?
A transformer is a device that changes ac electric
power at one voltage level to ac electric power at
another voltage level through the action of a
magnetic field.
Electricity at Home
A. Household Circuits
When a house is built, an electrician must install electric outlets, wall switches,
fuses, and circuit breakers. All of these devices must be connected by wires inside
the walls. In one kind installation, the wirings in the walls consist of plastic
insulated cable.

Electric
Electric Outlet
Cable
B. Short Circuits
The 220-volt “hot” wire is a very dangerous. Worn insulation or a poor
connection can create a short circuit. A short circuit is any accidental
connection that allows the current to go directly to the ground instead of
passing through an appliance.

C. Overloads
An overload may cause the circuit to heat up and melt the wires, much as a
short circuit would.

D. Protecting the Circuits

To prevent wire from overheating, circuits are protected against oveloads
and short circuits. A fuse is a device containing a short trip of metal with a low
melting point. This your signal to find and correct the overload and to replace
the fuse.

Another device that protects circuit from overloads is a circuit breaker. One
type of circuit breaker is a switch attached to a bimetallic strip of metal.
Fuse

Circuit Breaker