An innovative experimental sequence on electromagnetic induction and eddy currents based on video analysis and cheap data acquisition

Abstract

In this work, we present a coherent sequence of experiments on electromagnetic (EM) induction and eddy currents, appropriate for university undergraduate students, based on a magnet falling through a drilled aluminum disk. The sequence, leveraging on the didactical interplay between the EM and mechanical aspects of the experiments, allows us to exploit the students’ awareness of mechanics to elicit their comprehension of EM phenomena. The proposed experiments feature two kinds of measurements: (i) kinematic measurements (performed by means of high-speed video analysis) give information on the system’s kinematics and, via appropriate numerical data processing, allow us to get dynamic information, in particular on energy dissipation; (ii) induced electromagnetic field (EMF) measurements (by using a homemade multi-coil sensor connected to a cheap data acquisition system) allow us to quantitatively determine the inductive effects of the moving magnet on its neighborhood. The comparison between experimental results and the predictions from an appropriate theoretical model (of the dissipative coupling between the moving magnet and the conducting disk) offers many educational hints on relevant topics related to EM induction, such as Maxwell’s displacement current, magnetic field flux variation, and the conceptual link between induced EMF and induced currents. Moreover, the didactical activity gives students the opportunity to be trained in video analysis, data acquisition and numerical data processing.