2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA 2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA

22/23 P: Physics B (OH) - Electricity and Magnetism Causal Relationships

Causal Relationships Two quantities are correlated when a change in one causes a predictable linear
change in the other. There can be positive correlations, which is when an
increase in one quantity results in an increase in the other quantity, or when a
Objective and Key Words decrease in one quantity results in a decrease in the other quantity. negative
correlation is when an increase in one quantity results in a decrease in the
other factor. There is not necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship between
correlated quantities.
Objective
In this section, you will describe why the relationships between electric currents and The image below shows how positive, negative, and no correlation would
magnetic fields must be causal and not correlational. You will cite specific cause-and- appear on a data graph:
effect relationships.

Key Words
• causal relationship – when a variable triggers or causes change in
another variable

• negative correlation – an influence, rather than a cause; when an These graphs visually distinguish between positive correlation, negative correlation, and no
increase in one variable is accompanied by a decrease in another, or vice correlation.
Source: PDQ Digital Media Solutions Ltd/Pearson Education Ltd
versa

• positive correlation – an influence, rather than a cause; when an increase

When one factor causes change in another factor, it is a causal relationship.
in one variable is accompanied by an increase in another, or when a
The difference between causal relationships and correlations is that for
decrease in one variable is accompanied by a decrease in another
positive/negative correlations, there is only a connection or relationship
between the factors, but no causality.

An example of positive correlation is the relationship between feeling sleepy

and physical exertion. While low energy resulting from physical exertion
clearly contributes to feeling sleepy, other factors can lead to feeling sleepy as
about:blank 1/17 about:blank 2/17
2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA
well. For example, hunger and mental stress can contribute to low energy,
which can cause a person to feel sleepy.
Many factors contribute to feeling sleepy.
Source: Waroot Tangtumsatid. 123rf.com
A causal relationship exists, however, between lack of sleep and ability to stay
awake. If a person does not sleep for a long period, it will cause a lessened
ability to stay awake. The difference between the positive correlation and
causal relationship in this example is the clear cause-and-effect relationship in
the causal relationship. Lack of sleep causes an inability to stay awake, so the
relationship is causal. In the example of feeling tired, multiple factors may
contribute and are therefore positively correlated but are not causal.
In circuits, current and voltage are directly related. Current is the flow of
electrons in a circuit. Voltage is like a force that pushes electrons through a
conducting wire creating a current. So, in a wire with no change of resistance,
as voltage increases so does current.
about:blank 3/17
2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA
Current increases with voltage.
Source: Oxford Designers & Illustrators Ltd/Pearson Education Ltd
Voltage (for example, in a battery) is the electric force trying to move electrons
from one terminal to the other. Current is the flow of electrons. The electric
force causes the electrons to move. This shows that the relationship between
voltage and current is a causal one. Without voltage, there can be no current. In
other words, voltage causes current.
Electric currents and magnetic fields also have a relationship. Specifically,
flowing electric currents cause magnetic fields, and changing magnetic fields
cause electric currents to flow. This, too, is a causal relationship because one
phenomenon causes another to occur.
Imagine current flowing through this wire. The current causes the magnetic field, as shown by the
circles and arrows.
Source: HL Studios/Pearson Education Ltd
about:blank 4/17
2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA 2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA

Another example: In a wire without current flowing, there will be no magnetic

field generated around the wire. Conversely, applying a changing magnetic
Check-In
field across a wire causes a current in the wire. Therefore, if the changing Recall what you learned about positive correlation, negative correlation, and
magnetic field is halted, the current will also stop flowing through the wire. causal relationships. Answer the following question, and complete the activity.

Question 1
What is the difference between correlation and causal relationship?

Reveal Answer
In a correlation, a change in one quantity always accompanies a change in another quantity,

but it may not cause the change. In a causal relationship, one factor causes another factor to
change.

This diagram shows different situations in which a wire is placed in a magnetic field. Question 2
Source: HL Studios/Pearson Education Ltd
Complete the multiple-choice activity to demonstrate your understanding of

In this diagram, as the wire is moved across a magnetic field (up or down) a the relationship between electricity and magnetism.

voltage is induced in the wire because there is a change in the magnetic field.
When the wire is still and not moving, there is no voltage. And when the wire
is moved parallel to the magnetic field, there is no voltage because moving the
wire in a parallel direction means that the wire does not experience a change in
the magnetic field.

about:blank 5/17 about:blank 6/17

2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA 2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA

Practice Causal Relationships

Recall what you learned about positive correlation, negative correlation, and Learn about the relationship between electric currents and magnetic fields by
causal relationships. Complete the following activities. watching the video. Then answer the questions.

Question 1
Give a real-life example of a positive correlation, a negative correlation, and
a causal relationship. Explain why the two correlations you write about are

not causal.

Reveal Answer
Sample answer: There’s a positive correlation between height and weight; as you get taller, Video cannot be displayed on Print Preview
you get heavier, too. There’s a negative correlation between the yield of a crop and its

market price; if the yield is high, then the price goes down. These two correlations are not
causal because other factors affect your weight or the price of a crop. There’s a causal

relationship between the number of stairs you climb in a minute and the number of calories
you burn in that minute. The more stairs you climb in that minute, the more calories you

burn.

Causal Relationships Transcript

Question 2
Reflect upon and explain why people may confuse positive correlation with
causal relationships.

Reveal Answer
Sample answer: It may be that some people associate any increase or decrease in two

different variables at the same time with causation.

about:blank 7/17 about:blank 8/17

2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA 2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA

Check-In Practice
Recall what you learned about the difference between correlations and causal Recall what you learned about causal relationships and correlations in the
relationships. Answer the following questions. video, and answer the questions below.

Question 1 Question 1
When an electric field is present, a compass needle moves due to the Write an example of a positive correlation and an example of a negative
generation of a magnetic field in the wire. What kind of relationship is this? correlation.

Reveal Answer: Reveal Answer

The electric field causes the compass needle to move; therefore, it is a causal relationship. Sample answer: There’s a positive correlation between height and weight; as you get taller,
you get heavier, too. There’s a negative correlation between the yield of a crop and its

market price; if the yield is high, then the price goes down.
Question 2
Poor academic performance is linked to several things: not getting enough
Question 2
sleep, anxiety, or sickness. What kind of relationship is this?

Reveal Answer
How can you tell if something has a causal relationship instead of a

Sample answer: These factors have a positive correlation to bad grades. Since bad grades in correlation?

this case are due to many factors, no single factor can be considered a cause. Rather, the Reveal Answer
factors are linked, or correlated, to bad grades. Sample answer: In a causal relationship, one variable directly triggers the other variable to
change, whereas a correlation occurs only when one variable influences another. If there

are several variables that affect a change in something, then the relationship is likely to be a
correlation instead of a causal relationship.

about:blank 9/17 about:blank 10/17

2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA
Causal Relationships
In 1831, scientist Michael Faraday discovered that moving a magnetic field
across a conductor created an electromotive force spurred by the flow of
current in the conductor. With this discovery, he unlocked the principle that
would lead to electric generators.
This diagram of a simple generator shows the connection between magnets and electricity.
Source: Steve Cymro/Shutterstock
You may have heard of an electric generator. When there is a power outage,
people use electric generators to power electric appliances and equipment. But
how do electric generators work based on Faraday’s discoveries about
magnetic fields, conductors, and electromotive force?
Faraday made a simple generator using wires connected to a copper disk that
could rotate between the poles of a horseshoe magnet.
about:blank
2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA
This is a horseshoe magnet, similar to the one Faraday used in his simple generator.
Source: James Steidl. Shutterstock
The copper disk experienced the magnetic field between the poles of the
magnet. As the disk rotated, it experienced a changing magnetic field. The
changing magnetic field caused a current to flow in the disk and in the wires
connected to the disk. Some current was produced, but not much. The current
was only temporary. When the disk rotated, current began to flow through the
disk. When the movement of the disk stopped, the current stopped flowing.
The production of current by moving a conductor (copper disk and wire) in a
magnetic field (from the horseshoe magnet) is a causal relationship: when one
variable is changed, it causes another one to change.
Future researchers used this idea to create electromagnets with coils instead of
a disk between magnetic poles. They experimented with a different number of
turns in the coil, and they noticed a relationship.
11/17 about:blank 12/17
2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA 2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA

A magnet is moved into a coil of wire such that the wire experiences a changing magnetic field. This
changing magnetic field causes current in the wire, as shown by the gauge.
Source: Oxford Designers & Illustrators Ltd/Pearson Education Ltd

In the image above, a magnet is moved into a coil of wire to cause a current.
However, a current will also be produced if the magnet is stationary and the
coil of wire is moved. The magnetic field and the wire just have to move
relative to each other.
This diagram of a generator shows how a rotating magnet—and, therefore, a changing magnetic
field—ultimately causes current in a coil of wire.
It was discovered that, as the number of turns in the coil of wire was increased,
Source: HL Studios/Pearson Education Ltd
the current produced by the interaction between the moving wire coil and the
magnetic field also increased. So, this relationship was not simply a positive
In this generator, it is not the coil that spins but rather the magnet. When the
correlation or a negative correlation. It was a causal relationship, when the
magnet spins in an iron core, the action carries magnetism from the magnet to
increase in one variable causes an increase in another variable. There is also a
the coil and generates the flow of current in a coil of wire wrapped around the
causal relationship between decreasing the number of coils and decreasing the
iron core.
voltage caused in the wire.

This is a causal relationship as well, since the spinning of the magnet causes the
Another causal relationship between electricity and magnetism is found in a
flow of current. If the magnet ceases to spin, the current will no longer flow
generator like the one below.
through the coil of wire.

A simple application of this type of generator is seen in the bicycle light below,
which operates through the motion of a bicycle wheel. Study the image, and
notice the similarities to the generator concept described previously.

about:blank 13/17 about:blank 14/17

2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA 2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA

Check-In
Recall what you learned about generators, and answer the questions below.

Question 1
Describe how current can be induced to flow in a conducting wire in a
generator.
As the bicycle wheel rotates counterclockwise, the magnet spins. What do you think happens next?
Reveal Answer
Source: Oxford Designers & Illustrators Ltd/Pearson Education Ltd
Sample answer: A coil of wire can rotate between two magnets generating a magnetic field.
Because the wire experiences a changing magnetic field, a current is induced in the wire.

Question 2
Why do you think researchers concluded that there was a causal relationship
between electric current and a changing magnetic field?

Reveal Answer
Sample answer: When a coil or disk was rotated in a magnetic field, current began to flow
in the coil or disk. When the rotation stopped and the coil or disk stopped experiencing a

changing magnetic field, the current also stopped. Researchers saw a clear cause-and-effect

relationship, so they concluded there was a causal relationship.

about:blank 15/17 about:blank 16/17

2/24/23, 12:01 AM Vega Viewer SPA

Practice
Recall what you learned about causal relationships and generators, and
complete the activities below.

Question 1
Describe how the causal relationship between electricity and magnetism can be
used to transform a source of power into electrical energy for the simple bicycle
light generator you studied in the reading.

Source: Oxford Designers & Illustrators Ltd/Pearson Education Ltd

Answer

Question 2
Why is the bicycle light generator not an example of a correlational
relationship? Why must it be a causal relationship?

Answer

about:blank 17/17