MAGNETIZED COILS

AP Physics II

Abstract
On the construction and physics of solenoid coils, including the history of its development,
current applications, and further developments of the sciences behind. Includes two AP multiple
choice problems for practice and understanding purposes.

Larry Xue
 Magnetized Coils

A solenoid is a tightly wound coil packed in a helix shape. The solenoid was first invented by

Ampere in 1823. Ampere set to work developing a theory beween electricity and magnetism

after the discovery by Danish physicist Orsted that a magnetic needle is deflected by an adjacent

electric current. His employed a background in mathematics in generalizing physical laws on the

interaction between electricity and magnetism. His most important principle became known as

Ampere’s law, which describes the interactions of two lengths of wire based on their length and

their current.

The current that flows through a solenoid creates an inducted homogenous magnetic field inside

the solenoid. The uniform magnetic field generated by a solenoid is similar to that of a bar

magnet. In addition, the field can be greatly strengthened by adding a ferromagnetic material in

the solenoid. These cores are most typical in electromagnets. In a coil launcher, similar to our

model, an inner core is not used. The magnetic field generated by the solenoid attracts the

ferromagnetic material. Ferromagnetic materials are strongly attracted to magnetic fields. These

materials include iron, steel, and nickel. There are another two types of materials. Diamagnetic

and paramagnetic: diamagnetic materials are those that are slightly magnetized when placed in a

magnetic field. Paramagnetic materials have random atomic dipoles. Therefore, the total

resultant magnetic force is zero. When a strong external magnetic field is applied the

magnetization is extremely small. Because of this, our launched object must be ferromagnetic to

have an observable effect. When a current runs through the coil, the ferromagnetic material is

attracted to the center of the solenoid. When the current is left on, an oscillating motion is

produced by the continued attraction to the center of solenoid. At the farthest from the center of

the coil, the ferromagnetic material has the greatest potential energy, and at the center of the coil
the material has the greatest kinetic energy. This is similar to the oscillations of a spring. The

reason our material finally stops and settles in the center of the solenoid is that the object loses

energy from friction and other sources. In our project, the goal is to launch this object, and not to

create an electromagnet using the solenoid. So, this is where our circuit comes into play. We use

a capacitor to store an amount of charge. We created a circuit as shown below using a

breadboard, resistors, capacitors, thyristor, and a coil of wire as our solenoid.

The capacitor is charged by our power source. After the capacitor is charged, we push a button to

release the charge stored in the capacitor. This provides a burst of current that flows through the

solenoid. This burst of current temporarily creates a magnetic field that attracts the material to

the center of the solenoid. Since this is a burst of charge released by the capacitors, the material

is only attracted towards the center of the solenoid. It is not attracted back the other direction

because the magnetic field collapses after no more charge flows through the coil. The magnetic

field can be found with the expression B=unl. n=N/L is the number of turns per unit length. The

magnetic field is proportional to the current I. The stronger the current, the stronger the magnetic

field, and in turn the stronger and faster the material is accelerated. In a true coil “gun”, there

will be several coils meant to accelerate the material to achieve an appropriate velocity. The coils

will also have a much larger current that runs through them. However, this launching system is

only one of many practical uses of the solenoid.

Solenoids are often used when a magnetic field is necessary. It is extremely usefull as a magnet

that can be turned on and off. It is used in numerous medical, locking systems, industrial use, and

automotive applications. A solenoid can control a valve electrically, using electricity to provide a

mechanical force to a valve. Solenoids can also be used in particular types of door locking

systems which use electromagnets that can be turned on and off, providing exceptionally secure

closure. Solenoids are often used in devices that require locking, positioning, pinching, and

more, especially with valve operations.

Future development of solenoids occur in the field of medical devices. The reliability of

solenoids to control flow, direction, and pressure of fluids are of increasing importance. The

medical industry has a constant demand for high-accuracy devices that use advances in materials

science and electronics to improve the longevity and dependability of solenoid devices. An
example of this are the solenoids that are used in a device to control a person’s blood flow during

dialysis. Dosing machines also use solenoids to control the flow of medicine into the blood

stream. Future developments include the use of new materials to increase the efficacy of

solenoids, and developments in computer engineering such as artificial intelligence systems and

deep learning to create more intuitive and adaptive solenoid systems.

AP MC Problems

1. An electron (mass = m, charge = -E) is traveling with speed V upwards into a region

containing a uniform magnetic field B, into the page. What is the motion of the electron?

A. Clockwise rotation; radius of path = mv/B

B. Counterclockwise rotation; radius of path = mv/B

C. Clockwise rotation; radius of path = B/(mv)

D. Counterclockwise rotation; radius of path = B/(mv)

Answer: A

2. The plates of a capacitor are charged to a potential difference of 10 V. If the capacitance is 2

mF, what is the charge on the positive plate?

A. 0.00325 C

B. 0.02 C

C. 0.01 C

D. 0.53 C
Answer: B

3. Two conducting balls are touching. Mr. Hart holds a positively charged rod close, but not

touching, the ball on the right. The ball on the left is pulled away, and then the rod is removed.

What is the charge on the right ball?

A. Neutral

B. Positive

C. Negative

D. Not enough information

Answer: B

4. Two capacitors, each of capacitance C are placed in parallel on a circuit. What is the total

capacitance?

A. 5C

B. C/2

C. C

D. 2C

Answer: D