A conductor moving through a magnetic field passes through lines of flux, inducing a current in the wire. What is this phenomenon called?

A conductor moving through a magnetic field passes through lines of flux, inducing a current in the wire. What is this phenomenon called?

• A. Refraction
• B. Induction
• C. Diffusion
• D. Interference

Answer: (B)

Electromagnetic induction is at work when a moving conductor interacts with a magnetic field to produce electricity. When the wire moves through the field, free charges inside feel a magnetic (Lorentz) force q(v × B). This pushes charges along the conductor, creating an electromotive force and, if the circuit is closed, an electric current. The motion also changes the magnetic flux linked with the loop formed by the conductor and its return path, and Faraday’s law tells us the induced emf is proportional to the rate of change of that flux. The induced current will flow in a direction that opposes the change in flux (Lenz’s law). For a straight segment moving perpendicular to a perpendicular magnetic field, the induced emf is roughly B·L·v, illustrating the origin of the current from the motion through the field. Other concepts like refraction, diffusion, or interference describe light or wave behavior rather than the generation of current by a moving conductor in a magnetic field, so they don’t apply here.

Electromagnetic induction is at work when a moving conductor interacts with a magnetic field to produce electricity. When the wire moves through the field, free charges inside feel a magnetic (Lorentz) force q(v × B). This pushes charges along the conductor, creating an electromotive force and, if the circuit is closed, an electric current. The motion also changes the magnetic flux linked with the loop formed by the conductor and its return path, and Faraday’s law tells us the induced emf is proportional to the rate of change of that flux. The induced current will flow in a direction that opposes the change in flux (Lenz’s law). For a straight segment moving perpendicular to a perpendicular magnetic field, the induced emf is roughly B·L·v, illustrating the origin of the current from the motion through the field. Other concepts like refraction, diffusion, or interference describe light or wave behavior rather than the generation of current by a moving conductor in a magnetic field, so they don’t apply here.