Kurtis Cameron Aaron Ballard PHYSICS 1010 Generators: Electromagnetic Induction A generator is an electromagnetic induction device that produces

electric current by rotating a coil within a stationary magnetic field. A generator converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. Electromagnetic induction is the induction of voltage when the magnetic flux changes with time. If the magnetic field within a closed loop changes in any way, a voltage is induced in the loop. This voltage is achieved without the help of any additional voltage sources. No battery or other voltage source is needed- only the motion of a magnet in a wire loop. Pushing a magnet into a coil with twice as many loops will induce twice as much voltage. Resistors that the coil is connected to can dissipate the energy produced by electromagnetic induction. Energy can also be lost because it is more difficult to push the magnet into a coil with more loops. The magnetic field of each current loop resists the motion of the magnet. Faradays law states: The induced voltage in a coil is proportional to the product of its number of loops, the crosssectional area of each loop, and the rate at which the magnet field changes within those loops. (Voltage induced ~ number of loops X area of each loop X magnetic field) time When one end of a magnet is repeatedly plunged into and back out of a coil of wire, the direction of the induced voltage alternates creating an alternating current. It is more efficient to move the coil rather then the magnet. This is one by rotating the coil in a stationary magnetic field. This arrangement is called a generator. The construction of a generator and a motor seem identical, but the roles of input and output are reversed. In a motor, electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy; in a generator, mechanical energy is the input and electrical energy is the output. Both devices transform energy from one form to another.

Citation: Hewitt, Paul G. Conceptual Physics: Eleventh Edition. Glenview, IL: Pearson, 2012. Print. (All data for this paper was collected from this source.)