PHYSICS

HEAD START LECTURE

JAMON WINDEYER
 Today’s Lecture

Block #1: Motors

• The Motor Effect
• AC/DC Motor Construction
Motors and Generators
Block #2: Generators
• Faraday’s Law
This is literally what I spend • AC/DC Generator Construction
my life at university learning • Back EMF
about - Please ask questions!
Block #3: Transformers
• Transformer Construction
• Efficiency and Real World Use

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 Assumed Knowledge
• Voltage, Current, Resistance

! = #$
• Potential Difference and Electric Fields

&
%=
'
• AC/DC
• Conductors and Insulators
• Electrical Energy and Power

( = !# % = (*

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 Motors
Motors are a ridiculously useful part of the modern world –
Probably more than you realise.

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 Motors – The Motor Effect
The Motor Effect: The force on a current carrying conductor in
a magnetic field.

HOT PHYSICS TIP #1 – JARGON

• Jargon is the difference between a 4/5 response and a

5/5 response

• It should be the focus of your notes, the focus of your

study, and the focus of every answer you give

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 Motors – The Motor Effect
Why? Magnetic Field

e e e

Stationary
Electron Moving Electron

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 Motors – The Motor Effect
So, moving electrons are surrounded by magnetic field.
• Therefore, a current is surrounded by a magnetic field
• You learned this in Year 11!

Direction? RIGHT HAND GRIP RULE

Conventional
Magnetic Field Current Flow

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 Motors – The Motor Effect

The magnetic field

produced by the current
interacts with the applied
magnetic field,
generating a force.

Direction? RIGHT HAND

SLAP RULE

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 Motors – The Motor Effect

Magnitude?
Size of the force is affected by:
• Strength of applied magnetic field (in Tesla)
• Size of current in conductor (in Amperes)
• Length of the conductor exposed to magnetic field (Metres)
• The angle the conductor makes with the field (Degrees)

& = +#, sin 0

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 Motors – The Motor Effect

Example: Calculate the magnitude of the force on a 2-

meter long power cable carrying 10A of current, if it is
laying at an angle of 30 degrees to a 2T magnetic field
generated by an MRI machine.

& = +#, sin 0

PS – Look up MRI accidents, the things are INSANE!

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 Motors – The Motor Effect

Example (2012 HSC): A current-carrying wire passes through a region

of uniform magnetic field, magnitude 0.05 T, and as a result
experiences a force of magnitude 0.03 N. What is the current?

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 Motors – The Motor Effect

HOT PHYSICS TIP #2 – ISOLATE KEY PARTS OF QUESTION

• Numbers, desired information, significant facts/terms.

• This will reduce silly errors, forgotten conversions, etc.

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 Motors – The Motor Effect
This same effect can also produces forces between two
wires, as their fields interact.

The magnitude of the force per unit length between two

parallel wires is:

& 2#3 #4
=
1 5

2 is a special constant, which in this force we call the

Magnetic Force Constant (≈ 7×9:;< =>;7 )

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Motors – The Motor Effect

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 Motors – The Motor Effect
Example (2013 HSC): P, Q and R are straight current-carrying
conductors. Conductors P and R are fixed and unable to move.
Conductor Q is free to move.
a) In which direction will conductor Q move?
b) Calculate the magnitude of the force experienced by Q.

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 Motors – Torque
Torque is just rotational force.

Distance from Turning Point

Force

Torque (in Newton-Metres)

? = &5
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 Motors – Torque

The purpose of a motor (essentially):

• Use the motor effect to generate a force

• Use the force to generate torque
• Use the torque to spin some shit

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 Motors – DC Motors

DC Motors consist of:

• A set of magnets to set up a magnetic field (the stator)
• A current carrying coil that is free to rotate (the rotor)
• A split ring commutator connecting the coil to an
external power source

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 Motors – DC Motors

How do the forces produce a torque?

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 Motors – DC Motors

What does the commutator do?

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 Motors – DC Motors
The size of the torque is dependent on:
• The size of the magnetic field
• The dimensions (specifically, area) of the coil
• The size of the current
• The number of turns in the coil
• The position of the coil in its rotation

? = +@#A cos D

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 Motors – DC Motors
Some questions for thought:

1 – Where is torque at its maximum?

2 – If there is no torque when the coil is perpendicular

to the field, how/why does the motor keep spinning?

3 – If there was no commutator to reverse the

direction of current (and thus, torque), what would
happen?

4 – Is a torque that varies in size as the motor rotates

good or bad? How could we get rid of that?

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 Motors – DC Motors

HOT PHYSICS TIP #3 – QUESTION EVERYTHING

• Never (to a point) take anything for granted.

• Consider the consequences of certain principles, try and break

theories. This will test your knowledge and prepare you for Band 6
level questions.

You cannot rote learn Physics.

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 Motors – DC Motors
Example (2017 HSC): A coil consisting of 15 turns is
placed in a uniform 0.2T magnetic field between two
magnets. A current of 7.0 amperes flows in the
direction shown.

Calculate the magnitude and direction of the torque

produced.

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 Motors – AC Motors
AC Motors are practically identical to DC motors,
except you don’t need a split ring commutator.

• The current periodically reverses direction itself

• Instead we use slip rings that simply maintain
contact with the rotor

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 Motors – Applications
There are two applications of the motor effect that you
need to know about for HSC Physics:

• Galvanometer
• Loudspeaker

I’m skipping these on purpose – You now know

everything you need to know to understand how they
work J

Go home and do some research!

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 Generators
Generators are exactly as important as you think they
are.

• Whereas motors rely on the Motor Effect,

generators rely on Electromagnetic Induction

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 Electromagnetic Induction

Faraday discovered that when he passed current

through one coil, a small current appeared in an
adjacent coil. He got the same effect with a moving
magnet.
• This phenomenon was later modelled by Maxwell as
Faraday’s Law

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 Induction

Electromagnetic Induction: The production of a voltage

across an electrical conductor in a changing magnetic
field.

Faraday’s Law (Simplified slightly...): The size of an

induced voltage/EMF is proportional to the rate of
change of magnetic flux.

∆I
E∝−
∆*

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 Induction – Magnetic Fields

To understand this properly we need to understand

magnetic fields.

• Magnetic Flux (J) is the ‘amount’ of magnetic field.

Think of it as counting field lines.
• Magnetic Flux Density (B) is the magnetic flux per
unit area, how densely packed the field lines are.

Magnetic flux DENSITY determines field strength.

I
+ = I = +@
@

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 Induction – Magnetic Fields

Example (2017 HSC): The diagram shows an electric

circuit in a magnetic field directed into the page. The
graph shows how the flux through the conductive loop
changes over a period of 12 seconds.

Calculate the maximum magnetic field strength within

the stationary loop during the 12-second interval.

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 Induction – Lenz’s Law

What about the direction of the induced voltage?

Lenz’s Law: An induced current must flow such that it

creates a magnetic field that opposes the change that
produced it.

• That is where the negative in Faraday’s comes from!

∆I
E∝−
∆*

To understand why, a bit of a thought experiment...

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 Induction – Applications

The concept of induction is most obviously applied in

electric generators. It is also applied in:

• Electromagnetic Braking Systems

• Induction Cooktops
• AC Induction Motors

Induction is even an important design consideration in

normal motors, due to Back EMF.

You must know about all of these things in depth!

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 Generators – Construction
An AC/DC generator is practically identical in
construction to its motor counterpart.

Motors Generators
• Electrical Energy supplied • Electrical energy supplied to
from an external circuit an external circuit
• The current supplied to the • The rotor is spun by an
rotor produces a force external source of
(motor effect) which causes mechanical energy (steam,
rotation water, etc)
• The coil spinning in a
magnetic field causes a
current to flow (induction)

Electrical -> Mechanical Mechanical -> Electrical

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 Generators – AC vs DC

AC Generators DC Generators
• Easier to construct • More usable
• Less wear on parts energy/power per volt
• Can be transformed • Degrades more quickly
• Less safe – Requires • Cannot be transformed
shielding and insulation

It almost appears as though DC Generators would be superior,

but the ability to be transformed is a big deal. That is what we
consider next...

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 Physics Study Tips

STUDY NOTES FOR PHYSICS:

• You need them.

• Here’s mine…

Far less useful than practice, brainstorms, mind maps,

more active learning exercises.
• $25.00 might free up dozens of hours for doing these
things instead…

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 Physics Study Tips

Problems in Physics tend to fall into one of three

categories:

• Calculations
• Predictions
• Regurgitations

You need to know how to prepare for each!

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 Physics Study Tips

CALCULATIONS:

• Know your formulas

• Derive the formulas on your reference sheet
(where you can)
• Flash cards

• Practice

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 Physics Study Tips

PREDICTIONS:

• Toughest questions: You need a deep understanding

of the syllabus and the content!

• Ask questions of the world around you

• Put your understanding to the test

• Practice

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 Physics Study Tips

REGURGITATIONS:

• Understand the syllabus

requirements
• Study by the dot point
• Get stuff marked, very
easy to assume you’ve
got it when you don’t

• See what a Band 6

response looks like:

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 Transformers

A transformer is used to increase/decrease the voltage of

an electrical signal.

• A step up transformer increases the voltage, and

decreases the current
• A step down transformer decreases the voltage, and
increases the current

Why do you have to increase current to decrease voltage,

and vice versa?

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 Transformers
A transformer looks like this:

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 Transformers
The ideal transformer relationship is:

!K MN #O
= =
!L ML #K

• For step up transformer,

more coils in secondary
winding
• For step down transformer,
more coils in primary
winding

PQ RQ = PS RS
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 Transformers
!K MN #O
= = !K #K = !O #O
!L ML #K

In reality, this never holds true, there are always energy

losses.

• Flux Leakage (magnetic flux not going through the core)

• Eddy Currents
• Heat Losses

Energy in secondary coil is always less than primary coil.

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 Transformers

Example (2014 HSC): The primary winding of a transformer

contains 2000 turns. The primary AC voltage is 23,000 volts
and the output voltage is 660,000 volts.

a) Calculate the number of turns on the secondary winding.

b) If the current in the primary winding of the transformer is

100 A, and the secondary winding has a resistance of
2000Ω, what is the power loss in the secondary winding,
assuming there is no power loss in the primary winding?

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 Transformers
We need to minimise losses in our transformers:

• Reduce flux leakage by picking a good material for the

core (usually iron)
• Reduce heat losses by using an oil cooling system
• Reduce eddy currents using laminations

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 Transformers
A laminated core consists of many thin layers of insulated
iron stuck together. This reduces the size of induced eddy
currents.

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 Power Distribution
Why do we need transformers?

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 Power Distribution
Do you think the same voltage could power these two
things?

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 Power Loss

Even the best electrical conductors will have a small

resistance, and this causes power to be lost in transmission.

!3 !3 − !4 = #$
$

( = !#

!4 < !3 , ∴ (4 < (3

!4

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 Power Loss

The power lost in transmission is proportional to the square

of the current:

( = !# = #$ # = # 4 $

To minimize power loss, we minimize current.

How do we do this without reducing the power?

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 Power Distribution

We also need to protect our network against potential faults:

• Insulated from external structures to prevent electrocution

• Protected from lightning strikes with earth wires

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