Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Faraday's Law and Magnetic Induction
T2 - cause and effect, experiment and theory
AU - Kinsler, Paul
PY - 2020/5/6
Y1 - 2020/5/6
N2 - Faraday's Law of induction is often stated as "a change in magnetic flux causes an EMF"; or, more 2 cautiously, "a change in magnetic flux is associated with an EMF". It is as well that the more cautious form exists, because the first "causes" form can be shown to be incompatible with the usual expression V = -(d/dt)phi. This is not, however, to deny the causality as reasonably inferred from experimental observation - it is the equation for Faraday's Law of induction which does not represent the claimed cause-and-effect relationship. Unusually, in this induction scenario, the apparent experimental causality does not match up with that of the mathematical model. Here we investigate a selection of different approaches, trying to see how an explicitly causal mathematical equation, which attempts to encapsulate the experimental experience of "a change in magnetic flux causes ..." idea, might arise. We see that although it is easy to find mathematical models where changes in magnetic flux or field have an effect on the electric current, the same is not true for the EMF.
AB - Faraday's Law of induction is often stated as "a change in magnetic flux causes an EMF"; or, more 2 cautiously, "a change in magnetic flux is associated with an EMF". It is as well that the more cautious form exists, because the first "causes" form can be shown to be incompatible with the usual expression V = -(d/dt)phi. This is not, however, to deny the causality as reasonably inferred from experimental observation - it is the equation for Faraday's Law of induction which does not represent the claimed cause-and-effect relationship. Unusually, in this induction scenario, the apparent experimental causality does not match up with that of the mathematical model. Here we investigate a selection of different approaches, trying to see how an explicitly causal mathematical equation, which attempts to encapsulate the experimental experience of "a change in magnetic flux causes ..." idea, might arise. We see that although it is easy to find mathematical models where changes in magnetic flux or field have an effect on the electric current, the same is not true for the EMF.
U2 - 10.3390/physics2020009
DO - 10.3390/physics2020009
M3 - Journal article
VL - 2
SP - 150
EP - 163
JO - Physics
JF - Physics
SN - 2624-8174
IS - 2
ER -