Q.A cylindrical bar magnet is rotated about its axis. A wire is connected from the axis and is made to touch the cylindrical surface through a contact. Then
Concept understanding — Motional Emf
Motional Emf
When a conductor moves through a magnetic field, the free charges inside it experience a magnetic force. This force pushes the charges along the conductor, setting up a potential difference across its ends — a motional emf. It is electromagnetic induction viewed from a moving conductor rather than from a changing field.
Origin: the Lorentz force
Consider a straight rod of length l moving with velocity v perpendicular to a uniform field B. Each free charge q feels a force
F=q(v×B)
of magnitude qvB directed along the rod. Charges pile up at the ends until the electric field they create balances the magnetic force. The resulting potential difference — the motional emf — is
ε=Bvl
Consistency with Faraday's law
Let the rod of length l slide along parallel conducting rails, sweeping out a distance x. The enclosed area is A=lx, so the flux is Φ=Blx. Then
ε=−dtdΦ=−Bldtdx=−Blv
The magnitude Bvl matches the Lorentz-force result, showing that the flux rule and the force picture agree.
Worked example
A rod of length 0.4m moves at 5m/s perpendicular to a field of 0.5T:
ε=Bvl=0.5×5×0.4=1V
If the circuit resistance is 2Ω, the induced current is I=ε/R=0.5A.
Force and energy
Once current I flows, the field exerts a retarding force F=BIl on the rod, opposing its motion (Lenz's law). To keep the rod moving at constant speed, an external agent must supply power
P=Fv=BIlv=εI
exactly equal to the electrical power dissipated in the circuit — energy is conserved.
Motional emf arises only from the component of velocity perpendicular to B. Motion parallel to the field produces no emf.
Motional emf, derived from the Lorentz force on charges in a moving conductor, is a key numerical topic within the NCERT Class 12 Physics chapter on electromagnetic induction, tested in CBSE boards and JEE Main. Searches for "motional emf formula and derivation class 12 physics" will find this rod-on-rails explanation, consistent with Faraday's flux rule, matches the NCERT-prescribed derivation.
Why this formula?
Motional EMF: Why the Formula Holds
Let's build this from first principles — understanding the why before the formula.
The Core Idea
Motional EMF arises when a conductor moves through a magnetic field. The key insight: moving charges in a magnetic field experience a magnetic force, which acts like a battery pushing charges around the conductor.
Step 1: The Force on a Moving Charge
A charge q moving with velocity v in a magnetic field B feels the Lorentz magnetic force:
Fm=q(v×B)
This force is perpendicular to both velocity and magnetic field.
Step 2: What Happens Inside a Moving Conductor
Consider a straight metal rod of length L moving with constant velocity v perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field B (pointing into the page).
- Free electrons in the rod are moving with the rod at velocity v.
- Each electron experiences a magnetic force:
Fm=−e(v×B)
(negative sign because electron charge is −e)
- This force pushes electrons along the rod — say, toward one end.
Step 3: Charge Separation Creates an Electric Field
As electrons accumulate at one end, that end becomes negatively charged, leaving the other end positively charged.
- This charge separation creates an internal electric field E inside the rod, pointing from positive to negative end.
- The electric field exerts an opposing force on the electrons:
Fe=−eE
Step 4: Equilibrium — The "Battery" is Formed
Charge keeps moving until the electric force balances the magnetic force:
Fe+Fm=0
−eE−e(v×B)=0
E=−(v×B)
Magnitude-wise (for perpendicular v and B):
E=vB
Step 5: From Electric Field to EMF
The motional EMF E is the work done per unit charge to move a test charge from one end to the other:
E=∫negativepositiveE⋅dl
For a uniform field along the rod of length L:
E=E⋅L=vBL
The Key Formula
Motional EMF for a straight conductor moving perpendicular to B:
E=BLv
Why This Makes Physical Sense
| Quantity | Role |
|---|---|
| B | Stronger magnetic field → larger force on charges |
| L | Longer conductor → more charge separation possible |
| v | Faster motion → larger magnetic force → larger EMF |
Alternative Derivation: Faraday's Law
The same result comes from Faraday's law of induction:
E=−dtdΦB
For a rod of length L moving with speed v through a field B, the area swept per second is Lv, so:
dtdΦB=B⋅dtdA=BLv
Thus:
E=BLv
Both approaches give the same answer — confirming consistency.
Important Exam Points
- Direction: Use Fleming's right-hand rule (generator rule) to find polarity.
- General formula (when v and B are not perpendicular):
E=BLvsinθ
where θ is the angle between v and B.
- EMF is induced only while the conductor moves — stop the motion, stop the EMF.
Bottom line: Motional EMF is simply the magnetic force acting on moving charges inside a conductor, creating a charge separation that acts like a battery. The formula E=BLv is a direct consequence of balancing magnetic and electric forces.
A rotating conducting cylindrical magnet is a homopolar (Faraday) generator.
- The bar magnet is itself a conductor. Its own axial field B threads the metal.
- As the cylinder spins with angular speed ω, every free charge at radius r moves with speed v=ωr across the axial field, so it feels a radial Lorentz force q(v×B). This pushes charge steadily between the axis and the rim.
- The wire (axis contact to a rim contact) closes the circuit, so a constant, one-directional (DC) current flows through it — its sense does not reverse, because the geometry of the field and the motion is unchanging in time.
Note the symmetry argument "field unchanged ⇒ no emf" is a trap: it is a motional emf inside the moving conductor, not a flux change through a fixed loop.
A steady (DC) current flows through the ammeter (NCERT Exemplar option a) — the setup is a homopolar generator.
The spinning conducting magnet acts as a homopolar (Faraday) generator: the axial field acts on the charges of the rotating metal, driving a steady DC current from the axis to the rim through the connecting wire.
The setup
A cylindrical bar magnet, which is a conductor, spins about its own geometric axis. One sliding contact sits on the axis and another on the curved surface; a wire joins them through an ammeter, completing a circuit.
Why a current flows — the motional-emf picture
The magnet's field is (roughly) axial, B∥ axis, and it is carried rigidly with the metal. Consider a free electron in the metal at radius r from the axis. Because the body rotates at angular speed ω, that charge moves with velocity
v=ωrθ^,
i.e. tangentially. It therefore experiences a Lorentz force
F=q(v×B).
With v tangential and B axial, v×B points radially. So charge is driven along the radius, between the axis and the rim. Integrating this force per unit charge from axis (r=0) to rim (r=R) gives a motional emf
ε=∫0R(v×B)⋅dr=∫0RBωrdr=21BωR2,
which is constant in time. A constant emf drives a steady (DC) current I=ε/Rcircuit round the wire.
Why the "symmetry ⇒ no emf" argument fails
It is tempting to say: a cylinder is symmetric about its axis, so rotating it leaves B unchanged everywhere, the flux through the circuit never changes, and hence there is no emf. That reasoning applies to a stationary loop linking a changing flux. Here the emf is motional — it lives in the moving conductor itself, where the flux rule is not the right tool. The charges genuinely move through the field, so a current genuinely flows.
A steady DC current flows in the ammeter — this is a homopolar (Faraday) generator (NCERT Exemplar answer: option a).
Method: Recognising a Motional-EMF (Homopolar Generator) Problem in Disguise
Some induction questions describe a setup where Faraday's flux-rule instinct ("nothing changes, so no current") gives the WRONG answer — because the emf here is motional, generated inside a moving conductor itself, not by a changing flux through a fixed external loop.
Steps
Step 1: Check whether the conductor itself is moving through a field it's rigidly carrying along
If a conducting body is rotating (or translating) with a magnetic field that is fixed relative to the body itself (like a magnetized rotating cylinder), the standard "flux through a stationary loop" argument doesn't apply — the charges inside the moving conductor are the ones experiencing a force.
Step 2: Apply the Lorentz force to a free charge inside the moving conductor
Every free charge q at some point in the moving conductor, with local velocity v, feels
F=q(v×B)
Work out the direction of v (e.g. tangential, for a point rotating about an axis) and the direction of B (e.g. along the axis) to find which way this force pushes charge — this is the origin of the emf, not a changing external flux.
Step 3: Integrate the force per unit charge along the conductor to get the emf
ε=∫(v×B)⋅dr
For a rigid body rotating at constant angular speed with a fixed field geometry, every term inside this integral is constant in time, so ε itself comes out constant — this is the key signature of a steady (DC) motional emf, as opposed to the sinusoidally-varying emf you'd get from a coil rotating relative to an external field.
Step 4: Recognise WHY the naive symmetry argument fails
The trap in this class of question is reasoning "the setup looks unchanged from the outside (same field pattern, same geometry) at every instant, so nothing should happen." That test is only valid for a stationary loop linking an external, changing flux (Faraday's rule). Here the charges are physically moving through the field inside the conductor — a genuinely different physical mechanism (the Lorentz force) that produces a real, steady current regardless of the external symmetry.
Showing the 12 most recent of 15 on this concept.
- KCET 2026Set C21 markMCQQ.In the figure shown, the conductor PQ of length l is moved from x=0 to x=b and then up to x=2b with a constant velocity v. A uniform magnetic field B is perpendicular to the plane of the paper and extends from x=0 to x=b and it is zero from x>b. The magnitude of emf induced in the conductor is
(A) Blx;0≤x<b (B) Zero; 0≤x<b (C) Blv;0≤x≤b (D) Blv;b≤x<2b
›Reveal solutionSolution
The motional emf induced in a conductor of length l moving with velocity v perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field B is ε=Bvl, and it exists only while the conductor is actually within the field region.
Step 1 — Emf while PQ is inside the field region (0≤x≤b)
While PQ moves from x=0 to x=b, it is continuously within the uniform field B, moving with constant velocity v perpendicular to B. The motional emf is
ε=Bvl
This value does not depend on the position x within the field region — it is the same throughout, since B, v and l are all constant there.
Step 2 — Emf beyond the field region (x>b)
For x>b, the field is zero, so there is no magnetic force on the free charges in PQ and hence no motional emf — ε=0 in that region.
Combining both, the emf is Blv for 0≤x≤b and zero for x>b.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (C) — the magnitude of the induced emf is Blv for 0≤x≤b.
- KCET 2024Set D-21 markMCQQ.A moving electron produces (A) only electric field (B) both electric and magnetic field (C) only magnetic field (D) neither electric nor magnetic field
›Reveal solutionSolution
A charge always carries an electric field; motion of that charge is a current, which additionally creates a magnetic field.
Step 1 — The electric field is always there
An electron carries charge −e. By Coulomb's law, any charge sets up an electric field in the surrounding space:
E=4πϵ01r2∣q∣
Nothing in this expression depends on whether the charge is moving. Setting the electron in motion does not remove its charge, so the electric field does not vanish — it merely becomes time-varying at a fixed observation point (and, for a uniformly moving charge, gets distorted relative to the static Coulomb field). So options (C) and (D) are ruled out immediately.
Step 2 — Motion adds a magnetic field
A charge q moving with velocity v is, by definition, an element of current. The Biot–Savart law for a point charge gives the magnetic field it produces:
B=4πμ0r2qv×r^
Because v=0 for a moving electron, B=0 (except exactly along the line of motion, where v×r^=0). So option (A) is ruled out.
Step 3 — Conclude
A stationary electron produces only an electric field. A moving electron produces an electric field and a magnetic field. (This is the seed of the deep idea that E and B are two aspects of one electromagnetic field, and that what one observer calls a pure electric field another, in relative motion, sees as having a magnetic part.)
✓Final answerThe correct option is (B) — both electric and magnetic field.
ANSWER: B
- COMEDK 2024Set 2024-A1 markMCQQ.A metallic rod of length 'a' is rotated with an angular frequency of 0.2 rads−1 about an axis normal to the rod passing through its one end. A constant and uniform magnetic field of 'B' T parallel to the axis exists everywhere. The emf developed across the ends of the rod is (A) 10Ba2 (B) 5Ba2 (C) 50Ba2 (D) 2Ba2
›Reveal solutionSolution
A rod of length a spinning at ω=0.2 rad s−1 about one end in field B generates ε=21Bωa2=10Ba2.
For a rod rotating about an axis through one end, perpendicular to the rod, with B parallel to the axis, the motional emf is
ε=21Bωa2.
Substituting ω=0.2 rad s−1:
ε=21(B)(0.2)a2=0.1Ba2=10Ba2.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (A) — 10Ba2
- COMEDK 2024Set 2024-M1 markMCQQ.A metallic rod of 2 m length is rotated with a frequency 100 Hz about an axis passing through the centre of the circular ring of radius 2 m. A constant magnetic field 2 T is applied parallel to the axis and perpendicular to the length of the rod. The emf developed across the ends of the rod is : (A) 800 π volt (B) 1600 π volt (C) 1600 volt (D) 400 π volt
›Reveal solutionSolution
The rod spans centre-to-rim (L=2 m) and rotates about one end, so ε=21BωL2=800π V — option (A).
Concept
When a rod of length L rotates with angular frequency ω about an axis through one end, in a magnetic field B parallel to that axis, each element dr at radius r moves at speed v=ωr and contributes dε=Bvdr=Bωrdr. Integrating from 0 to L:
ε=∫0LBωrdr=21BωL2.
Here the axis passes through the centre of the ring and the rod length equals the ring radius, so the rod extends from the centre (on the axis) to the rim — it is rotating about one end with L=2 m.
Solution
- Angular frequency:
ω=2πf=2π(100)=200π rads−1.
- Motional emf about one end:
ε=21BωL2=21(2)(200π)(2)2=21(2)(200π)(4)=800π V.
So the emf across the ends of the rod is 800π V, option (A).
Watch outThe rod turns about its end (the centre of the ring), not its midpoint. Treating it as rotating about its centre would halve each arm to 1 m and wrongly give 400π V.
✓Final answerThe emf developed is 800π V — option (A).
- KCET 2023Set A-31 markMCQQ.A positively charged particle of mass m is passed through a velocity selector. It moves horizontally rightward without deviation along the line y=qB2mv with a speed v. The electric field is vertically downwards and magnetic field is into the plane of the paper. Now, the electric field is switched off at t=0. The angular momentum of the charged particle about origin O at t=qBπm is (A) qB32mE2 (B) zero (C) qB2mE3 (D) qB3mE2
›Reveal solutionSolution
t=qBπm is exactly half the cyclotron period, so the particle completes a semicircle and recrosses the horizontal axis through O moving along it; there r and v are collinear, so L=m(r×v)=0 - option (B).
Reasoning
With the electric field switched off, only the magnetic field acts and the particle moves on a circle of radius r=qBmv with cyclotron period
T=qB2πm.
The given instant
t=qBπm=2T
is half a period, so the particle traverses a semicircle to the diametrically opposite point of its path.
That point lies back on the horizontal axis through O along which the particle was travelling, and there its velocity is again directed along that axis. The position vector from O is therefore parallel to the velocity, so
L=m(r×v)=0.
✓Final answerThe angular momentum about O is zero - option (B). (The non-zero choices are dimensionally inconsistent with angular momentum, which also rules them out.)
- KCET 2023Set A-31 markMCQQ.A metallic rod of length 1 m held along east-west direction is allowed to fall down freely. Given horizontal component of earth’s magnetic field BH=3×10−5 T. The emf induced in the rod at an instant t=2 s after it is released is (Take g=10 ms−2) (A) 3×10−3 V (B) 3×10−4 V (C) 6×10−3 V (D) 6×10−4 V
›Reveal solutionSolution
A falling rod cuts the horizontal component of Earth’s magnetic field, generating motional emf. The induced emf at t=2 s is 6×10−4 V.
The key idea is motional emf: when a conductor moves perpendicular to a magnetic field, the free charges inside experience a magnetic force that pushes them to one end, creating a potential difference. For a rod of length l moving with velocity v perpendicular to a uniform field B, the induced emf is E=Blv.
Here the rod is falling freely under gravity, so its velocity increases linearly with time. The rod is oriented east-west, and the horizontal component of Earth’s field is given — that’s the component the rod cuts as it falls vertically. The vertical component of Earth’s field would be parallel to the rod’s motion and doesn’t contribute to the emf (since v and B would be parallel, giving zero cross product). So we only need BH.
-
Find the velocity after 2 seconds.
The rod is released from rest and falls freely with g=10 m/s2.
v=gt=10×2=20 m/s (downward).
-
Identify the effective field and length.
Rod length l=1 m.
Horizontal component BH=3×10−5 T.
The rod is east-west; it falls vertically downward. The velocity is perpendicular to the horizontal field (since the field is horizontal and the velocity is vertical), so the full BH is effective.
-
Apply motional emf formula.
E=BHlv
E=(3×10−5)×1×20
E=6×10−4 V.
Watch outA common mistake is to use the total Earth’s field instead of just the horizontal component. But only the component perpendicular to both the rod and its velocity contributes. Since the rod falls vertically, the vertical component of Earth’s field is parallel to the velocity and produces no emf.
✓Final answerThe induced emf is 6×10−4 V, which corresponds to option (D).
-
- COMEDK 2023Set 2023-E1 markMCQQ.A metallic rod of 10 cm is rotated with a frequency 100 revolution per second about an axis perpendicular to its length and passing through its one end in uniform transverse magnetic field of strength 1 T. The emf developed across its ends is: (A) 628 V (B) 3.14 V (C) 31.4 V (D) 6.28 V
›Reveal solutionSolution
A rod rotating about one end in a field B develops ε=21BωL2=π≈3.14 V.
For a rod of length L rotating with angular velocity ω about an axis through one end, perpendicular to a field B:
ε=21BωL2.
Here ω=2πf=2π(100)=200π rad/s, L=0.10 m, B=1 T:
ε=21(1)(200π)(0.10)2=21(200π)(0.01)=π≈3.14 V.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (B) — 3.14 V
- KCET 2020Set A-11 markMCQQ.A potentiometer has a uniform wire of length 5 m. A battery of emf 10 V and negligible internal resistance is connected between its ends. A secondary cell connected to the circuit gives balancing length at 200 cm. The emf of the secondary cell is (A) 4 V (B) 6 V (C) 2 V (D) 8 V
›Reveal solutionSolution
The emf of the secondary cell is found by the ratio of the balancing length to the total length of the potentiometer wire, multiplied by the total voltage across the wire. The answer is 4 V.
The key idea behind a potentiometer is that the potential drop across a uniform wire is directly proportional to its length. Since the wire has uniform cross-section and material, and a steady current flows through it, the voltage per unit length (the potential gradient) is constant. When you connect a secondary cell in the circuit, you slide the jockey until the galvanometer shows zero deflection — that balancing length tells you the emf of the cell equals the potential drop across that portion of the wire.
So the problem reduces to: if the full 5 m wire carries 10 V, then each metre carries 2 V. At a balancing length of 200 cm (which is 2 m), the emf of the secondary cell is simply the voltage across those 2 m.
Let’s go through it step by step.
- Find the potential gradient The total length of the potentiometer wire is L=5 m. The total potential difference across it is V=10 V (the battery’s emf, since internal resistance is negligible). The potential gradient k (voltage per unit length) is:
k=LV=5 m10 V=2 V/m
- Interpret the balancing length The balancing length is given as l=200 cm=2 m. At this point, the potential drop across the wire from the start to the jockey exactly equals the emf E of the secondary cell. So:
E=k×l=(2 V/m)×(2 m)=4 V
- Check the logic No current flows through the secondary cell at balance — the potentiometer measures emf under open-circuit conditions. The battery’s internal resistance is negligible, so the full 10 V appears across the wire. The calculation is straightforward.
Watch outA common mistake is to forget to convert centimetres to metres. If you use 200 cm directly as 200 m, you’d get a nonsensical 400 V. Always work in consistent units — here, metres.
TipYou can also think in ratios: the emf of the secondary cell is to the total voltage as the balancing length is to the total length.
10 VE=5 m2 m⇒E=4 V
This avoids calculating the gradient explicitly and is faster in an exam.
✓Final answerThe emf of the secondary cell is 4 V, which corresponds to option (A).
- KCET 2020Set A-11 markMCQQ.The current in a coil of inductance 0.2 H changes from 5 A to 2 A in 0.5 sec. The magnitude of the average induced emf in the coil is (A) 0.6 V (B) 1.2 V (C) 30 V (D) 0.3 V
›Reveal solutionSolution
The average induced emf is found using Faraday’s law: E=−LΔtΔI. Substituting L=0.2 H, ΔI=−3 A, Δt=0.5 s gives magnitude 1.2 V. The correct option is (B).
The key idea here is self-induction. When the current through a coil changes, the magnetic flux linked with the coil itself changes, inducing an emf that opposes the change (Lenz’s law). The magnitude of this induced emf is proportional to the rate of change of current, with the constant of proportionality being the inductance L.
Why does this work? Faraday’s law for a coil says induced emf E=−dtdΦ. For a single coil, the flux Φ is proportional to the current: Φ=LI, so dtdΦ=LdtdI. Hence E=−LdtdI. For a finite time interval, the average induced emf uses the average rate of change: Eavg=−LΔtΔI.
The negative sign indicates direction (opposing the change), but the question asks for magnitude, so we take the absolute value.
Let’s work it out step by step.
-
Identify the given data
Inductance, L=0.2 H
Initial current, Ii=5 A
Final current, If=2 A
Time interval, Δt=0.5 s
-
Find the change in current
ΔI=If−Ii=2−5=−3 A
The negative sign means current is decreasing. For magnitude, we’ll use ∣ΔI∣=3 A.
-
Apply the formula for average induced emf
Eavg=−LΔtΔI
Substitute the values:
Eavg=−0.2×0.5(−3)
The two negatives cancel:
Eavg=0.2×0.53
-
Simplify the arithmetic
0.53=6
So Eavg=0.2×6=1.2 V
Watch outA common mistake is to forget the negative sign in ΔI and get E=−0.2×0.53=−1.2 V, then mistakenly report the sign as part of the magnitude. The magnitude is always positive 1.2 V. Also, some students use ΔI=5−2=3 A (positive) and then forget the negative sign in the formula, getting −1.2 V — same result, but the reasoning is sloppy. Stick to the definition: ΔI=Ifinal−Iinitial.
TipYou can think of inductance as the “electrical inertia” of the coil — just as mass resists changes in velocity, inductance resists changes in current. The larger the L, the larger the induced emf for the same rate of change of current.
✓Final answerThe magnitude of the average induced emf is 1.2 V, which corresponds to option (B).
-
- KCET 2020Set A-11 markMCQQ.In the given circuit the peak voltages across C, L and R are 30 V, 110 V and 60 V respectively. The rms value of the applied voltage is
(A) 100 V (B) 200 V (C) 70.7 V (D) 141 V
›Reveal solutionSolution
In a series LCR circuit, the applied peak voltage is the phasor sum of the individual peak voltages (not the arithmetic sum). Here, the peak applied voltage is 602+(110−30)2=100 V, so its rms value is 100/2≈70.7 V. The correct option is (C).
The trap in this problem is to simply add the three peak voltages: 30+110+60=200 V. That would be true only if all voltages were in phase — but in a series LCR circuit, the voltages across the inductor and capacitor are 180∘ out of phase with each other, and both are 90∘ out of phase with the resistor voltage. So we must use phasor addition.
-
Identify the phase relationships.
In a series LCR circuit driven by an AC source, the current is the same through all components.
- The voltage across the resistor, VR, is in phase with the current.
- The voltage across the inductor, VL, leads the current by 90∘.
- The voltage across the capacitor, VC, lags the current by 90∘. Therefore, VL and VC are exactly opposite in phase (180∘ apart). Their net effect is the difference VL−VC (or VC−VL, depending on which is larger).
-
Find the net reactive voltage.
Given: VL=110 V (peak), VC=30 V (peak).
Since they oppose each other, the net reactive peak voltage is:
Vreactive=∣VL−VC∣=∣110−30∣=80 V
- Combine with the resistive voltage using phasor addition. The resistor voltage VR=60 V (peak) is at 90∘ to the net reactive voltage. So the total applied peak voltage Vpeak is the hypotenuse of a right triangle:
Vpeak=VR2+(VL−VC)2=602+802=3600+6400=10000=100 V
TipThis is exactly the same as using the impedance triangle: Vpeak=IpeakZ, where Z=R2+(XL−XC)2. Multiplying through by Ipeak gives the voltage triangle above.
- Convert peak to rms. The rms value of a sinusoidal voltage is the peak divided by 2:
Vrms=2Vpeak=2100≈70.7 V
Watch outA common mistake is to forget that VL and VC subtract, not add. If you add them directly, you get 110+30=140 V, then combine with VR: 602+1402≈152.3 V, which isn't even one of the options — but it shows how easily one can go wrong.
✓Final answerThe rms value of the applied voltage is 70.7 V, which corresponds to option (C).
-
- KCET 2019Set A-11 markMCQQ.A circular current loop of magnetic moment M is in an arbitrary orientation in an external uniform magnetic field B. The work done to rotate the loop by 30° about an axis perpendicular to its plane is (A) MB (B) 32MB (C) 2MB (D) Zero
›Reveal solutionSolution
The axis of rotation is the direction of M itself, so M never turns relative to B; the potential energy doesn't change, so no work is done.
Step 1 — Potential energy of a magnetic dipole in a uniform field.
U(θ)=−M⋅B=−MBcosθ
where θ is the angle between the magnetic moment M and the field B. The work done by an external agent in reorienting the loop is
W=ΔU=U(θ2)−U(θ1)=−MB(cosθ2−cosθ1)
So work depends only on how θ changes — nothing else.
Step 2 — Where does M point?
For a planar current loop of area A carrying current I,
M=IAn^
where n^ is the unit normal to the plane of the loop (right-hand rule). M is perpendicular to the plane, i.e. along the axis of the loop.
Step 3 — Read the rotation axis carefully (this is the whole trick).
The loop is rotated about an axis perpendicular to its plane — that axis is precisely the direction of n^, i.e. of M.
Rotating a vector about its own direction does nothing to it:
Mfinal=Minitial
The circular loop simply spins in its own plane; the current distribution is symmetric about that axis, so the loop's magnetic state is completely unaltered.
Step 4 — Therefore θ is unchanged.
θ2=θ1⇒W=−MB(cosθ1−cosθ1)=0
The torque about this axis is also zero, since τ=M×B is perpendicular to M and hence has no component along M — there is no torque opposing this particular rotation, so no work is needed.
Contrast: had the loop been rotated by 30∘ about an axis lying in its plane (perpendicular to B), θ would change and W would be non-zero — which is where options (A)–(C) come from.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (D) Zero.
ANSWER: D
- KCET 2019Set A-11 markMCQQ.Consider the situation given in figure. The wire AB is slid on the fixed rails with a constant velocity. If the wire AB is replaced by a semicircular wire, the magnitude of the induced current will (A) increase (B) remain same (C) decrease (D) increase or decrease depending on whether the semicircle bulges towards the resistance or away from it
›Reveal solutionSolution
Motional emf uses the effective (straight-line, end-to-end) length between the rails, not the arc length of the wire — so bending the slider into a semicircle changes nothing.
Step 1 — The emf as a line integral.
For a wire moving with uniform velocity v in a uniform field B, the emf is
ε=∫AB(v×B)⋅dl
Because v and B are both constant, the vector v×B is a constant vector and can come outside the integral:
ε=(v×B)⋅∫ABdl=(v×B)⋅LAB
where LAB is simply the displacement vector from A to B — the straight line joining the two rail contact points. The path taken between A and B is irrelevant.
Step 2 — Apply it to the semicircular wire.
The wire still touches the same two rails, so A and B (and hence LAB, of magnitude ℓ = rail separation) are unchanged. Therefore
ε=Bℓv(unchanged)
Step 3 — Cross-check with Faraday's law.
In a time dt the wire moves vdt. The bulge of the semicircle adds a fixed extra area to the circuit, but that extra area is carried along rigidly and does not grow with time. The rate of change of flux comes only from the rectangle swept out:
dtdΦ=BdtdA=Bℓv
A constant added area contributes zero to dΦ/dt. Same emf.
Step 4 — The current.
I=Rε=RBℓv
With the emf and the circuit resistance unchanged, the induced current is unchanged. Option (D)'s appeal — that the direction of the bulge matters — fails for exactly the reason in Step 3: a constant area, whichever way it bulges, has zero time-derivative.
✓Final answerThe correct option is (B) — remain same.
ANSWER: B
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