SUMMARY OF ARTICLE

 The objective of the paper/article is to analyze the physics and dynamics of the simple electric train project
that has gone viral over the internet since a few years ago.

 Their analysis and calculations incorporate the theories and concepts from Faraday’s Law, Lenz’s Law,
Lorentz force and eddy currents.

 The application and concept of homopolar motors are also related to the simple electric train project.

 The authors used spherical permanent magnets in their experimental prototype as opposed to the disc-
type used in many similar projects mainly because of the dipole magnetic field that exists outside the
spherical geometry of the permanent magnets.

 Additionally, the authors have noted that the spherical shape of the magnets allow smoother movement
of the train (magnets and battery) through and along the coil.

 The train assembly is further stabilized by inserting washers in between the magnets and the battery.

 Since the magnets are nickel-coated, a closed circuit is formed between the battery and the length of coil
from one end of magnet to the other. When the magnets touch the coil, the train assembly is ‘immersed
in the magnetic field of a finite solenoidal current’.

 The train assembly is moved by the force that is produced when the solenoid magnetic field, B, and the
magnetic dipole moment of the permanent magnets, m, interacts with one another.

 The movement of the train assembly is dependent on the force on the magnet. As quoted by the authors,
‘If m and B points in the same direction, the force on the magnet is in the direction of increasing B,
whereas if they point in the opposite direction, the force is in the direction of decreasing B.’

 The occurrence of eddy currents in the coil contributed to the terminal speed of the train assembly as it
moves through and along the coiled track.

 The force that is generated from the eddy currents is directly relative to the speed of the train and it is in
the opposite direction of the train’s movement.

 The authors use two methods to analyze and calculate the force on the train assembly attributed from the
helical eddy current.

(a) Force as the gradient of dipole potential energy in magnetic field B