Subject Code PHY 2 Physics 2

Module Code 11.0 Electromagnetic Induction

Lesson Code 11.1.1 Faraday’s Law, Part 1
Time Frame 30 minutes

Components Tasks TA1 ATA2

(min) (min)

Target At the end of this learning guide, the student should be able to:
● identify the conditions that give rise to an induced current
1
● calculate the magnitude of an induced emf and current

Hook In the early 1800s, Hans Christian Oersted discovered that an

electric current in a wire can deflect a magnetic compass needle.
2
You learned in the previous quarter that an electric current is
produced by an electric field, hence Oersted’s finding implied that
an electric field could produce a magnetic field. This discovery
led many scientists to conduct experiments to explore the
connection between electricity and magnetism. In 1831, two
scientists from different parts of the world, Michael Faraday from
England and Joseph Henry from the United States, conducted
experiments independently with the same hypothesis: if an
electric field can produce a magnetic field, perhaps a magnetic
field can also produce an electric field. They found that their
hypothesis was possible, and the results of their experiments gave
rise to one of the most important laws in Physics, the Faraday’s
Law of Induction. (Fun fact: Henry discovered it first, but
Faraday’s research was more comprehensive and published
earlier.)

In this lesson, we will explore Faraday’s Law of Induction and

identify the different factors that determine the induced current.

Ignite In 1831, Faraday conducted an experiment to prove his

hypothesis that a magnetic field can create an electric field using
27
the apparatus shown in Figure 1. The apparatus consists of two
coils referred to as the primary coil and the secondary coil. The
primary coil, connected to a battery, is wound around a ring made
of iron to increase the strength of the magnetic field produced by
the current in the coil. The secondary coil, also wrapped around

1
Time allocation suggested by the teacher.
2
Actual time allocation spent by the student (for information purposes only).

Physics 2 Faraday’s Law, Part 1 Page 1 of 7

 the same iron ring, is then connected to an ammeter (a device
used to measure electric current). It is important to note that the
two coils are not connected as a circuit, and the secondary coil is
not connected to a battery.

Figure 1. Faraday’s experiment to induce an emf.

Faraday attempted to observe if the magnetic field, due to the

current flowing in the primary coil when it is connected to a
battery, would be able to induce (generate or create) an electric
field in the secondary coil wrapped on the same iron ring. If there
is a current in the secondary coil, the ammeter would give a
current reading.

Faraday had two observations: the ammeter would give a reading

if the current in the primary coil is changing (achieved through
opening and closing the switch) and zero reading if the current in
the primary coil is constant or steady. More specifically, when the
switch is momentarily closed or opened, the ammeter registers a
brief current reading and then returns to zero once again.

From these observations, Faraday concluded that a constant

magnetic field produced by a steady current in the primary coil
will not induce an electric field and current in the secondary coil.
The magnetic field in the primary coil has to be changing to
produce an electric field and current in the secondary coil.
Electric current produced by a changing external magnetic field is
called an induced current and this phenomenon is called
electromagnetic induction. When the magnetic field through the

Physics 2 Faraday’s Law, Part 1 Page 2 of 7

 primary coil changes, a current is induced in the secondary coil as
if there were some source of emf in the secondary circuit.
Remember that charges do not move spontaneously. Charges
require an emf to provide the energy to move around the circuit.
With this, we say that a changing magnetic field induces an
emf.

The actual ring used by Michael Faraday is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Faraday’s actual electromagnetic induction ring, with some

circuit diagrams drawn for illustration purposes. The picture is from the
YouTube video “Levitating Barbecue! Electromagnetic Induction” by
Veritasium.

Magnetic Flux

Faraday also investigated the different factors affecting the

magnitude of the induced emf. He formulated Faraday’s law
which allows us to calculate the induced emf. To understand and
use this law, we must first introduce the concept of magnetic flux.

Although a changing magnetic field always produces an electric

field, there are some instances where a constant magnetic field
also induces an electric field. One example is an electric generator
in Figure 3. The armature (rectangular conducting coils in the
figure) rotating in a constant magnetic field produced by the fixed
magnets induces an electric current.

Physics 2 Faraday’s Law, Part 1 Page 3 of 7

 Figure 3. A schematic diagram of an electric generator.

An electric field produced in this way is due to a physical quantity

known as changing magnetic flux. Flux is a general term
associated with a field that is bound by a certain area.
Specifically, magnetic flux quantifies the amount of magnetic
field passing through an area.

The magnetic flux ÈB through a loop of wire is directly

proportional to the strength of the magnetic field B passing
through the loop as well as the area of the loop A and is
mathematically expressed as:

ÈB = B ? A = B Acosθ   (eqn. 1)

where B ?   is the component of the magnetic field ~

B
perpendicular to the plane of the loop and Ò is the angle between
~
B and the imaginary normal line perpendicular to the plane of
the loop. The SI unit of magnetic flux is weber or Wb.

unit of magnetic flux: 1 W b = 1 T ∙m2  

Figure 4 illustrates the magnetic field for three configurations as it

passes through a coil with area A. In Figure 4A, the magnetic field
is perpendicular to the coil ( θ = 0° ) and the field’s magnitude is
the same at all points on the plane of the coil; the magnetic flux is
ÈB = B A since equation (1) becomes B Acos0°: In Figure 4B,
the magnetic field makes an angle Ò with a line normal to the
plane of the coil; the magnetic flux is

Physics 2 Faraday’s Law, Part 1 Page 4 of 7

 ÈB = B Acos60Î = 0:5BA  . Lastly in Figure 4C, the magnetic
field is parallel to the coil ( θ = 90° ); the magnetic flux is zero
since B Acos90°  =  0 .

Figure 4. Magnetic flux is proportional to the number field lines passing

through an area.The coil is viewed from the side.

Magnetic flux is maximum when the field is perpendicular to the

coil and is zero when the field is parallel to the coil.

Sample Problem. Magnetic flux (modified from Serway and

Vuille, 2012, page 691)

A circular loop of wire of radius R = 0.250 m is in a uniform

magnetic field B of magnitude 0.360 T as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. A circular loop of wire in a magnetic field.

(a) What is the magnetic flux through the loop if the plane of
the loop is perpendicular to the magnetic field lines?

Physics 2 Faraday’s Law, Part 1 Page 5 of 7

 (b) What is the magnetic flux through the loop if it is rotated
until its plane makes an angle of 45:0° with the magnetic field
lines?
(c) What is the change in flux due to the rotation of the loop?

Solution:

(a) Solve for the magnetic flux through the circular loop.
Solve for the area of the loop first:
2
A = πr2 = π(0:250 m) = 0:196 m2

Substitute the value of area, magnetic field, and the angle to the
magnetic flux equation.
ÈB = B Acosθ = (0:360 T ) (0:196 m2 ) cos 0° 

ÈB = 0:0706 W b

(b) Solve for the magnetic flux through the circular loop if its
plane is rotated 45:0° with the magnetic field.

Figure 6. The circular loop is rotated 45:0° with

  respect to the magnetic
field.

Same with (a), substitute the values for the magnetic field, area
and the new angle, θ = 45:0° .
ÈB = B Acosθ = (0:360 T ) (0:196 m2 ) cos  45:0° 

ÈB = 0:0499 W b

(c) Solve for the change in flux by subtracting the answers in

(a) from (b):
∆ΦB = 0:0499 W b À 0:0706 W b  

∆ΦB =   À 0:0207 W b  

In this example, the change in magnetic flux is due to the rotation

of the loop, rather than any change in the magnetic field. This
changing magnetic flux explains how electromagnetic devices
such as electric generators and motors work. They are made of a

Physics 2 Faraday’s Law, Part 1 Page 6 of 7

 current carrying loop rotating in a stationary magnetic field. The
construction of these two devices look the same but the rules of
input and output are reversed. They both transform energy from
one form to another. Generators convert mechanical energy to
electrical energy while motors convert electrical energy to
mechanical energy.

References:
1. Giancoli, D. C. (2014). Physics: Principles with Applications (7th ed). Pearson Education, Inc.
2. Giordano, N. J. (2010). College Physics: Reasoning and Relationships (1st ed). Brooks/Cole.
3. Serway, R. A, and Vuille, C. (2012). College Physics (9th ed). Brooks/Cole.
4. Veritasium. (2012, October 9). Levitating Barbecue! Electromagnetic Induction [Video].
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txmKr69jGBk

Prepared by: Gineth Grace C. Calis Reviewed by: Quantum Yuri B. Lubrica

Position: SST IV Position: SST III

Campus: Cordillera Administrative Region Campus: Cordillera Administrative Region Campus

Campus

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