F A R A D A Y B U E L E R ’ S D A Y O F F —N O T !

19. Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction

Faraday Bueler’s Day

Off—Not!
Student Instruction Sheet

Challenge
Investigate the relationship between the magnetic flux, voltage, time, and number
turns in a coil of wire.

Equipment and Materials

• Computer with USB Port • 400-Turn Coil
• PASPORT USB interface • 800-Turn Coil
• PASPORT Voltage/Current Sensor • Student Instruction Sheet
• DataStudio software • Student Response Sheet
• Alnico Bar Magnet

Safety Precautions
Remember, follow the directions for using the equipment.

Background
Michael Faraday discovered that passing a magnet through a coil of wire
generated a current in the wire. He experimented with the number of loops in the
coil of wire. He also explored how the strength of the magnet affected the
voltage in the coil of wire.

Predict
Before beginning the eLab, complete the prediction portion of the Student
Response Sheet.

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19. Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction

Explore
Computer Setup
1. Plug the PASPORT USB interface into the computer’s USB port.

2. Plug the Voltage/Current Sensor

into the USB interface. This will
automatically launch the PASPortal
window.

3. Choose the appropriate DataStudio configuration file entitled

19 Faraday’s Law CF.ds

Note: Configuration files automatically launch the appropriate

display(s), sampling rate(s), etc.

The Voltage/Current Sensor The voltage portion of

is a multi-sensor. As it
measures two distinctly
different quantities, you may
find it challenging to use the
sensor properly. Use the
information at right to guide
you in the use of the Voltage/
Current Sensor.
the sensor measures
The current portion voltage across a part
of the sensor of a circuit in volts.
measures current
through the circuit
in amps.
to the USB link

Equipment Setup
1. Set up the equipment as shown in the figure.

2. Connect the red voltage lead of the Voltage/

Current Sensor to the labeled side of the 400-
Turn Coil. Connect the black lead to the other
terminal. Place the coil in a position where the bar
magnet can easily pass through the hole. (For
example, place the coil at the edge of a table.)

Note: Do not let the bar magnet hit the floor

or any solid object. The magnet is fragile and
could break.

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19. Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction

Record Data

Part 1: Compare the 400-Turn Coil to the 800-Turn Coil

1. Hold the magnet so that the south end is about 2 cm above the coil.

Note: If you are using the PASCO Model EM-8620 Alnico Bar
Magnet the North end is indicated by the narrow groove near
one end.

2. Click the Start ( ) button. Let the magnet drop through the coil.

• Data recording will begin when the magnet falls through the coil and the
voltage from the coil reaches 0.05 V. Data recording will end automatically
after 0.4 seconds.

3. Replace the 400-Turn Coil with the 800-Turn Coil and perform the same
procedure above.

4. After collecting data, replace the 800-Turn Coil with the 400-Turn coil.

Part 2: Compare one bar magnet to two bar magnets together

1. Tape two bar magnets together so both north poles are next to each other.

2. Repeat the data recording procedure using the “double-strength” magnet

through the 400-Turn Coil.

Analyze
Find the area under the curve of voltage versus time.

1. Click the Scale to Fit ( ) button to rescale the graph.

2. Record the value of “Max” as the Maximum Voltage for each of the data runs
in the data table on the Student Response Sheet.

3. Use the cursor to select a region around the first peak of the voltage plot.
The value for ‘Area’ appears in the legend box in the graph. Record the Area in
the data table of the Student Response Sheet.

4. Perform the same procedure for the second peak and record its Area in the
data table of the Student Response Sheet.

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19. Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction

5. Perform the analysis for the 800-Turn Coil.

6. Switch to the data run for the “double magnet” through the 400-Turn Coil and
repeat the analysis.

7. Save your DataStudio file (on the File menu, click Save Activity As...) to the
location specified by your teacher.

8. Answer the questions and define the vocabulary words on the Student
Response Sheet.

9. Follow your teacher’s instructions regarding cleaning up your work space.

448 Student Instruction Sheet PS-2810

F A R A D A Y B U E L E R ’ S D A Y O F F —N O T !
19. Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction

Student Response Sheet

Name:__________________________________

Date:_______________________________

Faraday Bueler’s Day Off—Not!

Vocabulary

Use available resources to find the definitions of the following terms:

electromagnetic induction: _______________________________________

___________________________________________________________

magnetic flux: ________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Predict

1. You can send electricity through a conducting wire to make a magnetic field.
Do you think the reverse is possible? Do you think you can use a magnet and a
conducting wire to make electricity?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

2. How do you think the number of loops in a coil of wire affects the voltage of
the electricity generated in the coil?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

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19. Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction

3. How do you think the strength of a magnet used to generate electricity in a

coil affects the amount of voltage in the coil?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Data Table

Data Run Area: Peak 1 Area: Peak 2 Total Area Maximum

Voltage
400-Turn Coil
800-Turn Coil
“Double-
magnet”

Analyze

1. How does the graph of the 400-Turn Coil compare to the graph of the 800-
Turn Coil?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

2. According to Faraday’s Law, the areas of the two peaks of the voltage-time
curve should be zero when added together. Is this the case for the data you
recorded?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

3. How does the graph of the “double-magnet” compare to the graph for the 400-
Turn Coil (with the single magnet)?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

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19. Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction

Synthesize

1. How does the number of turns in the coil affect the voltage induced?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

2. Is the incoming flux (area under first peak) equal to the outgoing flux (area
under second peak)?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

3. Why are the peaks opposite in direction?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

4. Why is the second peak larger?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

5. Do your results support your predictions?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

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19. Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction

456 Student Response Sheet PS-2810