• Texas A&M University, Kingsville

• PHYSICS 3402

Pre-Lab Information Purpose Experimentally observe how magnet polarity affects induced current in a wire loop. Time Approximately 30 minutes Question How does magnet polarity affect the current flowing in a loop of wire? Hypothesis If the polarity of a moving magnet is reversed, then the current induced in a loop of wire will reverse in direction, because magnet polarity determines the direction of the electromagnetic force. Variables: Independent Variable: magnet polarity Dependent Variable: induced current Constant: magnet strength Summary Faraday’s experiments in the early 1800s provided fundamental insights into the nature of electromagnetism. By moving a magnet near or through a coil of wire, he was able to demonstrate that a moving magnetic field produced a current in the wire. The process that produces a current by using a moving magnet is known as electromagnetic induction. In this experiment, you will study electromagnetic induction in a wire coil by manipulating magnet polarity and observing changes in the current produced. This is very similar to the types of experiments that Faraday carried out more than two hundred years ago. The current produced will be assessed by using a galvanometer. Besides recording quantitative data in terms of the curr