Physics Challenge for

Teachers and Students

Solution to April 2008 Challenge

◗ A BLT Sandwich
Challenge: A square loop made of wire with negligible using Ohm’s law in the last step.1 But we are told
resistance is placed on a horizontal frictionless table as that the resistance R of the loop is zero. Therefore
shown (top view). The mass of the loop is m and the b2dB / dt = LdI / dt. (That is, the back emf exactly
length of each side is b. A nonuniform vertical magnetic cancels the externally induced emf.) Integrating
field exists in the region; its magnitude is given by the both sides with respect to time then implies
formula B = B0 (1 + kx), where B0 and k are known that b2B = LI + c, where c is some constant that
constants. The loop is given a quick push with an initial depends on the initial conditions. Let’s assume
velocity v along the x-axis as shown. The loop stops after that the loop starts out with zero current before
a time interval t. Find the inductance L of the loop. it is placed on the table into the magnetic field.
Then c = 0 and the net flux, ext – back, linking
b
the loop is always zero. We conclude that the cur-
rent in the loop is
b
b2
I= B0 (1 + kx ) (2)
v L
x in the clockwise direction. But we now have
four wire segments (i.e., the four sides of the
Solution: Suppose that the external magnetic field loop) carrying current I in a magnetic field B(x).
Bext  B = B0(1 + kx) is directed out of the page. Consequently there is a magnetic force on each
As the loop moves to the right, the externally of them. The forces on the top and bottom sides
linked flux through the loop ext = Bextb increas- are equal and opposite. That on the right side is
2

es; its time derivative results in an emf of –IbB(x), where the minus sign indicates that it is
ext = –d ext /dt, where the minus sign indicates directed leftward since I is down the page and B
that it drives a current I around the loop in the is out of the page, and where we let x measure the
clockwise direction. Noting that dBext /dt = B0k position of the right side of the loop. Thus the left
dx/dt is not constant (since the speed dx/dt of the side is located at position x – b and the force on
loop decreases monotonically from υ initially to it is +IbB(x – b). Consequently the net magnetic
0 finally), the current I cannot be constant either. “braking” force on the loop is
We therefore have a time-varying clockwise cur-
rent in an inductor L and so we generate a back F = −Ib {B0[1 + k x ]− B0[1 + k( x − b )]}
emf back = –LdI / dt  –d back/dt in the coun- 4 2 (3)
kb B
ter-clockwise direction. Consequently the net =− 0
(1 + kx )
clockwise emf around the loop is L
after substituting Eq. (2).
2 dB dI
ε =b − L = IR (1)
dt dt We can write this result in the form F =
–K (x – x0), where K = k2b4B20/L and x0 = –1/k

THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 46, 2008 1

 are constants. This has the form of a Hookean field varies across the length of the loop. Instead,
restoring force, where the effective spring constant the external flux is
x +b
is K and the equilibrium position is located at x0.
Assume that the loop is originally placed at the Φext = ∫ B dA = ∫ Bext ( x ′ )bdx ′ (8)
equilibrium position so that it doesn’t move before x
it is given the impulsive push. The loop will sub- whose time derivative is
sequently oscillate about that position forever after x +b
d Φext dx d
it is pushed, since there is no resistive dissipation
of energy. It first reaches the rightward turning dt
=
dt dx ∫ Bext ( x ′ )bdx ′
(9)
x
point in a time t equal to one-quarter of a period
ΔB 2
T = 2π m / K so that =υ b .
2
Δx
π 1 ⎛ 2kb 2 B0t ⎞⎟⎟ But because B is a linear function of x, ΔB/Δx =
L = ⎜⎜⎜
mL
t= ⇒ ⎟ .
2 k b 4 B02
2 m ⎜⎝ π ⎟⎠ (4) dB/dx = B0k, , and so Eq. (1) and the remainder
of the solution is nevertheless correct.
By using the standard textbook expression for the
magnetic field of a straight wire segment, one can (Contributed by Carl E. Mungan, U. S. Naval
fairly easily show that the inductance of a square Academy, Annapolis, MD)
loop is 1 1
2μ0b xdxdy 1. In traditional textbook presentations of Faraday’s law
L=
π ∫∫ 2
y x +y 2
,
(5) for the current induced in a loop placed in a varying
r /b 0 magnetic field, the loop’s inductance is assumed to
where r is the radius of the wires and is assumed be negligible so that ext = IR. In the present prob-
to be small compared to b. This integral works out lem, the loop’s resistance is instead negligible. More
generally, Eq. (1) can be viewed as the equation of
to be approximately
an LR series circuit with ext playing the role of the
2μ0b ⎛⎜ b ⎞⎟ usual battery.
L≈ ln ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ , (6)
π ⎝r ⎠
which diverges if we let r go to zero. Instead, tak- We would also like to recognize the following
ing r = b/1000, this result gives L  4bμ0, where contributors:
μ0 = 0.4π μH/m is the permeability of free space.
For example, if b = 1 m then L  5 μH. The Sanjeet Singh Adarsh (PTC, Pune, India)
important point is that Eq. (4) then implies that Marianne Breinig (The University of Tennessee,
m Knoxville, TN)
t2 ∝ , (7) Alan J. DeWeerd (University of Redlands,
b(ΔB )2
Redlands, CA)
assuming r << b, where ΔB  B0kb is the varia-
F. Javier Doblas (Escuela Técnica Superior de
tion in the external magnetic field strength across Ingenieros, Sevilla, Spain)
the width of the loop. The stopping time increases
if the loop’s mass (inertia) is increased, while the Don Easton (Lacombe, Alberta, Canada)
time decreases if the size of the loop or the mag- Bruce Gordon (Kimball Union Academy, Meriden,
netic field gradient is made larger. NH)
Fredrick P. Gram (Cuyahoga Community College,
Addendum Cleveland, OH)
I would like to thank José Íñiguez for pointing out Art Hovey (Milford, CT)
that calculating the externally linked flux as ext =
Bextb 2 is not correct because the external magnetic

THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 46, 2008 2

J. Iñiguez (Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca,
Spain)
John Mallinckrodt (Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona,
CA)
Stephen McAndrew (Trinity Grammar School,
Summer Hill, NSW, Australia)
Bayani I. Ramirez (San Jacinto College South,
Houston, TX)
Finally, we would like to acknowledge Bartley
L. Cardon (MIT Lincoln Laboratory, South
Portland, ME), whose name was omitted from the
list of the March Challenge solvers, and apologize
to Dario Castello (Vasquez High School, Acton,
CA), whose last name was misspelled there.

Many thanks to all contributors and we hope to

hear from you in the future!

Please send correspondence to:

Boris Korsunsky
korsunbo@post.harvard.edu

3 THE PHYSICS TEACHER ◆ Vol. 46, 2008