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1. Differentiate between Electric Generator and Electric Motor.
Difference between motor and generator is probably the most common question from the
electricity topic of physics. In this article, the main differences between electric motor and
generator are given here. The motor and generator difference given here is in tabular form for
better understanding and clarity.
Before moving to the differences between a motor and generator, it is important to know what
they are. Their functions, structure and other related details. To learn more about an electric
motor and generator, visit the links given below.

● The Electric Motor

● The Electric Generator

Sl. Differentiating
Motor Generator
No. Property

1 Definition
An electric generator is a
An electric motor is a machine that
machine that converts
converts electrical energy to
mechanical energy to electrical
mechanical energy.
energy.`

Electric motor follows Fleming’s left- Electric generator follows

2 Rule
hand rule. Fleming’s right-hand rule.

The working principle of a motor is

The working principle of
based on the current-carrying
3 Principle generator is based on
conductor that experiences a force
electromagnetic induction.
when it is kept in the magnetic field.

The shaft of an electric motor is

The shaft of an electric generator
Driving force for driven by a magnetic force which is
4 is connected to the rotor which is
shaft developed between the armature and
driven by a mechanical force.
field.

In a motor, current is supplied to the
5 Current Usage
armature winding.
In a generator, current is
produced in the armature
winding.

Ceiling fans, cars, etc. are all examples In power stations, generator is
6 Example
of motor. used to generate electricity.
● These were the main motor and generator differences that can be asked in the exams.
Students aspiring for engineering courses are required to be completely get acquainted
 with the concepts of motors and generators. Check the articles given below to get
additional information about generators and motors with their principles.

2. What are the factors which determines Induced Electromotive Force (EMF) Strength?.
The Faraday's laws of electromagnetic induction says that the E.M.F. induced in a coil 'e' = -(rate
of change of magnetic flux linkage) 
where,
the Flux linkage =number of turns′N′×magnetic field′B′×area′A′×cosθ
where,
theta is angle between magnetic field B and area A.
Theta at any instant 't'=(angular velocity w)×(time instant′t′). That is, Theta = w×t.
E.M.F. induced in a coil 'e'=N×B×A×w×sinw×t. 

The factors involved in the induced emf of a coil are:

● The induced e.m.f. is directly proportional to N, the total number of turns in the coil.
● The induced e.m.f. is directly proportional to A, the area of cross-section of the coil.
● The induced e.m.f. is directly proportional to B, the strength of the magnetic field in which the
coil is rotating.
● The induced e.m.f. is directly proportional to 'w', the angular velocity of coil.
● The induced e.m.f. also varies with time and depends on instant 't'.
● The induced e.m.f. is maximum when plane of coil is parallel to magnetic field B and e.m.f. is
zero when plane of coil is perpendicular to magnetic field B.

3. How the direction of Relative Motion that determines Direction of Current Flow?
Fleming's right-hand rule (for generators) shows the direction of induced current when
a conductor attached to a circuit moves in a magnetic field. It can be used to determine the
direction of current in a generator's windings.
When a conductor such as a wire attached to a circuit moves through a magnetic field,
an electric current is induced in the wire due to Faraday's law of induction. The current in the
wire can have two possible directions. Fleming's right-hand rule gives which direction the
current flows.
The right hand is held with the thumb, index finger and middle finger mutually perpendicular to
each other (at right angles), as shown in the diagram. [1]

● The thumb is pointed in the direction of the motion of the conductor relative to the
magnetic field.
● The first finger is pointed in the direction of the magnetic field. (north to south)
● Then the second finger represents the direction of the induced or generated current within
the conductor (from + to -, the terminal with lower electric potential to the terminal with
higher electric potential, as in a voltage source)
4. What is the Generator Hand Rule?

THE LEFT-HAND RULE FOR GENERATORS states that when the thumb, forefinger,

andmiddle finger of the left hand are extended at right angles to each other so that the
thumb indicates thedirection of movement of the conductor in the magnetic field, and the
forefinger points in the direction ofthe flux lines (north to south), the middle finger shows
the direction of induced emf in the conductor.

5. Name the main parts of an Direct Current (DC) Elementary Generator and
give their functions.
DC Generator
A dc generator is an electrical machine which converts mechanical energy into direct current
electricity. This energy conversion is based on the principle of production of dynamically
induced emf. This article outlines basic construction and working of a DC generator.
Construction Of A DC Machine:
Note:Theoretically, a DC generator can be used as a DC motor without any constructional
changes and vice versa is also possible. Thus, a DC generator or a DC motor can be broadly
termed as a DC machine. These basic constructional details are also valid for the construction
of a DC motor. Hence, let's call this point as construction of a DC machine instead of just
'construction of a dc generator'.
The above figure shows constructional details of a simple 4-pole DC machine. A DC machine
consists of two basic parts; stator and rotor. Basic constructional parts of a DC machine are
described below.
1. Yoke: The outer frame of a dc machine is called as yoke. It is made up of cast iron or steel.
It not only provides mechanical strength to the whole assembly but also carries the
magnetic flux produced by the field winding.
2. Poles and pole shoes: Poles are joined to the yoke with the help of bolts or welding. They
carry field winding and pole shoes are fastened to them. Pole shoes serve two purposes;
(i) they support field coils and (ii) spread out the flux in air gap uniformly.
3. Field winding: They are usually made of copper. Field coils are former wound and placed
on each pole and are connected in series. They are wound in such a way that, when
energized, they form alternate North and South poles.
 Armature core (rotor)

4. Armature core: Armature core is the rotor of a dc machine. It is cylindrical in shape with

slots to carry armature winding. The armature is built up of thin laminated circular steel
disks for reducing eddy current losses. It may be provided with air ducts for the axial air
flow for cooling purposes. Armature is keyed to the shaft.
5. Armature winding: It is usually a former wound copper coil which rests in armature slots.
The armature conductors are insulated from each other and also from the armature core.
Armature winding can be wound by one of the two methods; lap winding or wave
winding. Double layer lap or wave windings are generally used. A double layer winding
means that each armature slot will carry two different coils.
6. Commutator and brushes: Physical connection to the armature winding is made through
a commutator-brush arrangement. The function of a commutator, in a dc generator, is to
collect the current generated in armature conductors. Whereas, in case of a dc motor,
commutator helps in providing current to the armature conductors. A commutator
consists of a set of copper segments which are insulated from each other. The number of
segments is equal to the number of armature coils. Each segment is connected to an
armature coil and the commutator is keyed to the shaft. Brushes are usually made from
carbon or graphite. They rest on commutator segments and slide on the segments when
the commutator rotates keeping the physical contact to collect or supply the current.

6. State the Lenz's Law and the Fleming's Law.

Lenz’s law, in electromagnetism, statement that an induced electric current flows in a direction

such that the current opposes the change that induced it. This law was deduced in 1834 by the
Russian physicist Heinrich Friedrich Emil Lenz (1804–65).
7. What is Direct Current (DC) Electric Motor Principles.

A DC motor is an electric motor that runs on direct current power. In an electric motor,
the operation is dependent upon simple electromagnetism. A current-carrying
conductor generates a magnetic field, when this is then placed in an external magnetic
field, it will encounter a force proportional to the current in the conductor and to the
strength of the external magnetic field. It is a device which converts electrical energy to
mechanical energy. It works on the fact that a current-carrying conductor placed in a
magnetic field experiences a force which causes it to rotate with respect to its original
position.
Practical DC Motor consists of field windings to provide the magnetic flux and armature
which acts as the conductor.
 8. Name the main parts of a Direct Current (DC) Electric Motor and give their
functions.

An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical

energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction
between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate
force in the form of torque applied on the motor's shaft. Electric motors can be powered
by direct current (DC) sources, such as from batteries, motor vehicles or rectifiers, or
by alternating current (AC) sources, such as a power grid, inverters or electrical
generators. An electric generator is mechanically identical to an electric motor, but
operates with a reversed flow of power, converting mechanical energy into electrical
energy.

9. Methods in Reversing the Direction of Electric Motor Rotation.

Higher compressor efficiencies can be obtained through the use of capacity modulation.
One technique to modulate capacity involves reversing the rotation of the compressor
mechanism by reversing the rotation of the drive motor. In the reverse direction, a
portion of the total available displacement is disabled, lowering the capacity. This
technique raises questions as to which method of motor reversal is most efficient.
Electronically commutated motors can be made to reverse direction through their
control circuitry. Reversing rotation on a three phase induction motor is accomplished
by interchanging two of the phase leads. Single phase induction motors can employ
several techniques to reverse direction. Several methods to reverse the direction of
rotation of a single phase induction motor are discussed and the merits and
shortcomings of each design approach is assessed.
10. 3 Ways of DC Motor Speed Control
1. Flux Control Method

In this method, the magnetic flux due to the field windings is varied in order to vary the speed
of the motor.

Flux Control method

As the magnetic flux depends on the current flowing through the field winding, it can be varied
by varying the current through the field winding. This can be achieved by using a variable
resistor in a series with the field winding resistor.

Initially, when the variable resistor is kept at its minimum position, the rated current flows
through the field winding due to a rated supply voltage, and as a result, the speed is kept
normal. When the resistance is increased gradually, the current through the field winding
decreases. This in turn decreases the flux produced. Thus, the speed of the motor increases
beyond its normal value.

2. Armature Control Method

With this method, the speed of the DC motor can be controlled by controlling the armature
resistance to control the voltage drop across the armature. This method also uses a variable
resistor in series with the armature.

Armature Control method

When the variable resistor reaches its minimum value, the armature resistance is at normal
one, and therefore, the armature voltage drops. When the resistance value is gradually
increased, the voltage across the armature decreases. This in turn leads to decrease in the
speed of the motor.

This method achieves the speed of the motor below its normal range.

3. Voltage Control Method

Both the above mentioned methods cannot provide speed control in the desirable range.
Moreover, the flux control method can affect commutation, whereas the armature control
method involves huge power loss due to its usage of resistor in series with the armature.
Therefore, a different method is often desirable – the one that controls the supply voltage to
control the motor speed.
In such a method, the field winding receives a fixed voltage, and the armature gets a variable
voltage.
One such technique of voltage control method involves the use of a switch gear mechanism to
provide a variable voltage to the armature, and the other one uses an AC motor driven
Generator to provide variable voltage to the armature (the Ward-Leonard System).
Apart from these two techniques, the most widely used technique is the use of pulse width
modulation to achieve speed control of a DC motor. PWM involves application of varying width
pulses to the motor driver to control the voltage applied to the motor. This method proves to
be very efficient as the power loss is kept at minimum, and it doesn’t involve the use of any
complex equipment.

Voltage Control Method

The above block diagram represents a simple electric motor speed controller. As depicted in the
above block diagram, a microcontroller is used to feed PWM signals to the motor driver. The
motor driver is L293D IC which consists of H-bridge circuits to drive the motor.
PWM is achieved by varying the pulses applied to the enable pin of the motor driver IC to
control the applied voltage of the motor. The variation of pulses is done by the microcontroller,
with the input signal from the push buttons. Here, two push buttons are provided, each for
decreasing and increasing the duty cycle of pulses.

We hope that we have been able to provide a detailed and relevant description on DC motor
speed control. Here is a simple question for our readers: What are the other methods of
applied voltage control apart from PWM?