ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

1. What type of energy conversion takes place within: a) generators b) electric motors 2. a) State Faradays Law. b) Use Faradays Law to explain why a current is induced in a coil that is rotated in a magnetic field. c) Name two ways in which the amount of field linkage can be increased. 3. a) Explain how the alternating current generator works. b) Explain how the direct current generator works. c) Give examples of the use of alternating and direct current generators. 4. Why is AC used, rather than DC, to transport electrical energy between cities and towns. 5. Write expressions for the current and voltage in an alternating current circuit. 6. Define the root mean square values of current and voltage and explain why these values are useful.
7. An electric motor is used to lift a crate, mass 2 kg, off the floor. The

voltage across the terminals of the motor is 12 V. The current flowing through the motor is then 1,5 A . The crate moves up with a velocity of 0,7 m.s-1. You must use g = 10 m.s-2. a) Calculate the electrical power used by the motor. b) Calculate the electrical energy used by the motor in 1 s. c) Calculate the increase in potential energy of the crate in 1 s. d) Calculate the efficiency of the motor. e) What happens to the rest of the electrical energy?

SOLUTIONS 1. a) Generators convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. b) Electric motors convert electrical energy to mechanical energy. 2. a) Faradays Law of electromagnetic induction: whenever there is a change in the magnetic field linked with a conductor, a potential difference is induced, the magnitude of which is proportional to the rate of change in the field linked with the conductor.
b)

When both coil and magnet are stationary, the magnetic field caused by the magnet passes through the coil and cuts through the windings of the coil. We say that the magnetic field is linked with the coil. When the magnet is pushed into the coil, there is a change in this field linkage. A potential difference is induced in a conductor when there is a change in the magnetic field linked with that conductor. The greater the change in field linkage, and the faster this change occurs, the greater will be the induced potential.

c)

By increasing the strength of the magnetic field or by increasing the number of turns.

3.

a) A coil is mechanically turned in a magnetic field. As a result, a current is induced in the coil because the magnetic flux linkage through the coil changes as it rotates. The armature is attached to two metal rings, which are called slip rings. The coil is rotated between the poles of a magnet. The brushes, which are not fixed to the armature, slide on the contacts and allow the induced current to flow into and away from the resistor in the external circuit. As the coil is rotated in the magnetic filed, both the magnitude and direction of the induced emf changes with time

b) Whenever the coil is producing a negative voltage, we need to

reverse the direction of the voltage so that it stays positive. To do this, the DC generators slip ring is separated into two parts which do not make electrical contact with each other. This is now called a commutator. The potential difference is positive or zero, but never negative. This produces direct current (or DC). c) An alternator is an example of an alternating current generator and older models of cars used direct current generators.
4.

Electrical energy has to be transported from power plants to cities and towns through cables. Power is given by the formula P = V x I. So in order to deliver enough power we can either make V large or make I large. However, if we push a large current through a cable hundreds of kilometers long, we lose huge amounts of electrical energy. Engineers must therefore keep the current small and so the voltage must go up. The voltage produced by generators is about 10 kV, which is still low. So we increase the voltage using transformers which only work on AC.

5.

The voltage in an AC circuit is given by the frequency by the equation: V = V0 sin 2 ft and the current in an AC circuit is given by the frequency by the equation: I = I0 sin 2 ft.

6. Root mean square (abbreviated RMS or rms), also known as the quadratic mean, is a statistical measure of the magnitude of a varying quantity. It is especially useful when variants are positive and negative, e.g. waves. It can be calculated for a series of discrete values or for a continuously varying function. The name comes from the fact that it is the square root of the mean of the squares of the values. It is a power mean with the power p = 2.

Uses:

The RMS value of a function is often used in physics and electrical engineering should we wish to calculate the power dissipated by an electrical conductor. The RMS value can be calculated using equation (2) for any waveform, such as a sinusoidal or sawtooth waveform. This allows us to calculate the mean power delivered into a specified load. For this reason, listed voltages for power outlets (e.g. 117 V or 230 V) are almost always quoted in RMS values, and not peak values. In physics, the root mean square velocity is defined as the square root of the average velocity-squared of the molecules in a gas. The RMS velocity of an ideal gas can therefore be calculated.

7. a) P = V.I = 12 x 1,5 = 18 W b) c) In one second, E = Pt = 18 x 1 = 18 J In one second, the increase in potential energy: EP = m.g.h = 2. 10. 0,7 = 14 J Efficiency = energy output x 100% energy input = 14 x 100% = 77,7% 18 The rest of the energy is wasted on heating the motor and on making some sound.

d)

e)