Physics Education
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Studying Faraday’s law of induction with a smartphone and personal
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Paper
Phys. Educ. 54 (2019) 055006 (7pp) iopscience.org/ped
Studying Faraday’s law of
induction with a smartphone
and personal computer
A A Soares and T O Reis
Department of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, Federal University of São Carlos,
Rod. João Leme dos Santos km 110,Sorocaba-SP, Brazil
E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract
Here we present an inexpensive proposal to experimentally study Faraday’s
law of induction. The experiment uses low-cost materials, a computer
with a sound card and a smartphone, both running free software. A value
proportional to the induced electromotive force is measured with the
computer’s sound card and the data related to the magnetic field time
dynamics is recorded using the smartphone’s magnetometer. The analysis of
the data is made with an electronic spreadsheet. Our proposal is quite suitable
to be carried out with secondary school students or even with introductory
undergraduate students and allows one to quantitatively study the linear
relation between the induced electromotive force and the magnetic flux time
rate.
1. Introduction sets out some new visions for education [1]. That
Nowadays we are immersed in a world where declaration, among other suggestions, brings the
information and communication technologies commitment to making science, technology and
(ICT) play an important role, where personal innovation stronger and points out that it can be
computers (PCs), high-speed internet, smart- reached if ICT is used to improve learning qual-
phones, social media, etc are elements that can- ity and effectiveness. Also, it says that to meet all
not be disconnected from in a modern lifestyle. the learners’ needs, relevant teaching and learn-
In this way, the teaching process must be aligned ing methods and contents are required and it
with those technologies to ensure a meaningful implies using appropriate ICT, including mobile
understanding of different topics. On the other technology.
hand, experimental activities in teaching physics According to Moraru and co-workers [2],
are mandatory for a complete understanding of active and interactive processes to teaching and
natural phenomena. So, gathering physics experi- learning physics, which also involves using ICT
ments and ICT together can be useful for the in conducting experiments by the students them-
physics teaching process. selves, lead the students to a no longer passive
The United Nations Educational, Scientific behaviour in learning topics. In this way, by
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) along becoming active students, they can explore and
with other international organizations launched discover new concepts. It is the same for phys-
the Incheon Declaration for Education 2030 that ics teachers, either in a classroom or laboratory,
1361-6552/19/055006+7$33.00 1 © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd
A A Soares and T O Reis
using active and interactive methodologies pro- simple experiment that allows one to quantita-
motes a more effective and efficient condition that tively study FLI.
makes the topics easier to understand.
Using technology in teaching and learning
2. The experiment
science topics can promote exploration and exper-
imentation and, also, can improve motivation and The aim of our proposal is an experiment to mea-
engagement in the learning process [3]. In that sure, simultaneously, the time dynamics of the
paper, the author performed an experimental magnetic field in a region near a copper wire coil
study with 448 science teachers from different and a value that is proportional to the induced
areas. She found that the teacher’s predisposition emf in the coil. The first will allow us to calculate
in using education technologies with their stu- the time dynamics of the magnetic flux and, with
dents is positively correlated to their own expe- that, we will be able to determine the maximum
rience with educational technology. In this way, time rate of the magnetic flux (dΦ dt ) that will be
m
it is mandatory that higher education courses for merged to the maximum (or minimum) induced
teachers consider this topic in their curriculum. emf. The time-dependent magnetic field is gener-
Faraday’s law of induction (FLI) is a quite ated by moving a neodymium magnet away from
important topic but shows some experimental the smartphone magnetic sensor.
challenge for a quantitative demonstration if the In figure 1(a) we show a schematic repre-
low-cost criterion is considered. Moreover, the sentation of the experiment. A toilet flush button
large conceptual amount and the abstraction level (F) is used to move the neodymium magnet (M)
required from the students make the challenge backward from the copper wire coil (C) that is
even bigger. To study FLI, some experiment pro- placed with its plane parallel to the smartphone
posals using ICT have been made. For example, screen in a position over its internal magnetic sen-
Wood and Sebranek [4], to measure the induced sor. The magnet has a diameter of 0.7 cm and is
electromotive force (emf), designed an experi- glued to the stem of the flush button. The smart-
ment where a magnet drops through a set of coils phone measures the magnetic field (in µT) as a
with different numbers of turns. Hessel [5] per- function of time (in s) using the PTSS’s mag-
formed an experiment that qualitatively demon- netometer (see smartphone screen in figure 1(b).
strates FLI. The same author and co-workers [6] The copper wire coil has an internal radius of
proposed another experiment in which they had 1.2 cm, an external radius of 2.5 cm, a height of
demonstrated quantitatively FLI using a magnet 2.0 cm and is connected to the PC’s sound card
that drops through a copper wire coil. Using a using a 3.5 mm audio plug. The copper wire was
digital oscilloscope to record the data and a wrapped in a tape spool.
PASCO rotary motion sensor connected to a PC, As the neodymium magnet in figure 1(a)
a copper wire coil and a magnet, Kingman and moves backwards from the smartphone screen, the
co-workers [7] performed an experiment to study magnetic flux in C changes and an electric current
FLI, but without directly measuring the magn is sent to the computer’s sound card. The time-
etic flux. They concluded that the experiment dependent induced emf (ε) is proportional to this
can provide the students the opportunity to prove electric current and, according to FLI, its mathe-
the relation between magnetic field flux and the matical relation with the magnetic flux time rate is:
induced emf.
For secondary school or even introductory dΦ
(1)
ε = −N ,
undergraduate courses, a quantitative exper dt
imental demonstration of FLI can be useful to
where N is the coil’s number of turns and the
improve students’ understanding of the topic,
time-dependent magnetic flux Φ is given by:
taking them to a better abstract interpretation and
more meaningful learning. In this work, using a (2) Φ = B · A.
smartphone with the physics toolbox sensor suite In equation (2), B is the time-dependent
(PTSS) app, a PC running the Audacity software magnetic field and A is the mean area of the cop-
and its sound card, an enamelled copper wire coil per wire coil that, here, is 0.0013 m2. The minus
(25 AWG/550 turns) and a magnet, we present a sign in equation (1) is due to Lenz’s law that
September 2019 2 Phys. Ed4c. 54 (2019) 055006
Studying Faraday’s law of induction with smartphone and a personal computer
(a) (b)
F F
To PC
P
M To PC
C
C R
Smartphone screen
F
M
Figure 1. (a) A schematic representation showing the smartphone screen, the copper wire coil (C) and the device
(F) used to move the neodymium magnet (M) backward from the copper wire coil. The magnet is in its lower
position. (b) A picture showing the experimental set up. The connector (R) is a 3.5 mm audio plug. The inset allows
one to see the neodymium magnet.
for didactic purposes can be explained using an the magnetic field time variation data as a csv file
appropriated hand rule. that will be further analysed using a spreadsheet.
Figure 1(b) shows a picture of the exper Concomitantly, a value proportional to the time-
imental set up with the smartphone screen showing dependent induced emf at the copper wire coil is
an experimental typical magnetic field behaviour detected by the PC sound card and a signal with
in a region near the centre of the coil. The inset in a peak is shown in the Audacity’s screen. After
figure 1(b) is the upside-down view of the flush that, the maximum magnetic flux time rate will be
button showing the magnet. To ensure that the merged to the value of the induced emf’s maxi-
magnet always departs from the same position mum (or minimum) in a graphic.
with respect to the copper coil (and smartphone Since the smartphone is larger than the inner
screen), we used an 11 cm long water pipe with a diameter of the coil, it is important to mention that
diameter of 2 cm (P in figure 1(b)). The pipe can the magnetic sensor is placed a little outside from
be replaced by a home-made paper card pipe, for the coil’s central cross-section. Another important
example. Excluding the PC and smartphone, the issue is that this peak does not show the value of ε
cost of our experiment is about US$4.00 (enam- directly, but the waveform amplitude, i.e. the sig-
elled copper wire, 3.5 mm stereo audio plug, toilet nal’s temporal dynamics, which is directly pro-
flush button, neodymium magnet, etc). portional to ε . This is why our results for ε will be
To acquire the data, the flush button is held presented in arbitrary units. Although calibrating
in the pushed position (as in figure 1(a)) until is not the purpose of this work, neither technically
the smartphone screen shows a constant time- nor didactically, using an oscilloscope it is pos-
dependent magnetic field (region indicated by a sible to calibrate the Audacity to get ε in volts.
white arrow in figure 1(b). After that, the button is However, this kind of equipment is somewhat
released and the coil inside the flush button (not expensive, so not all schools can afford it, espe-
the copper one) pulls back the magnet, causing a cially the secondary ones. Even using an oscil-
change in the magnetic field in the region near the loscope to calibrate, every time the user changes
copper wire coil. The PTSS automatically records the sound card settings, a new calibration process
September 2019 3 Phys. Educ. 54 (2019) 055006
A A Soares and T O Reis
(a) (b)
Figure 2. (a) A Physics Tool Box screenshot showing the typical magnetic field time dynamic. ‘B’ and ‘E’ are the
border points of the data related to magnetic field variation. In (b) the correspondent signal peak from Audacity
is shown. The dashed circle shows the signal peak related to the maximum magnetic flux time variation shown in
(a). The inset in (b) is a magnification that allows one to determine its minimum value.
must be executed but, for the context of a class- card or the magnet pole orientation. Here, for
room, this procedure is very time-consuming. didactic purposes, it was considered the negative
In each release process, the magnet’s speed one. In figure 2(b), the second peak (the positive
varies due to restitution followed by a compres- one) is the fade out from the sound card signal.
sion of the coil inside the flush button. In our The minimum value of ε (εm), in arbitrary
proposal, we want to look, in each release pro- units and that corresponds to the maximum
cess, only to the maximum magnet speed that is magnetic flux time rate, can be directly measured
proportional to the maximum magnetic flux time from Audacity. To do that, in each release pro-
rate. The greater the maximum speed, the greater cess, Audacity’s zoom tool is used. Once the peak
will be the maximum magnetic flux time rate is detected, a horizontal magnification is applied
and, given the equations (1), the greater will be to isolate it. After that, a vertical magnification
the maximum (or minimum) signal peak at the is applied until the minimum value of the signal
Audacity’s screen on the PC. peak can be obtained from Audacity’s vertical
To construct a good and didactic final scale as shown in the inset of figure 2(b).
graphic, we have to get a few data pairs, each
one in a different release process (runs). To
do that, the release process of the neodymium 3. Results
magnet must be done in a way that ensures, at To analyse the smartphone data, it is first neces-
least, five different release speeds. This can be sary to find the border points (B and E) of the
achieved by applying different finger pressure to magnetic field time variation corresponding to
the button. The mandatory condition is enough the magnet movement backwards from the smart-
to amount to different maximum values for the phone screen as shown in figures 2(a) and 3 (see
speed that the magnet moves away from the arrows in those figures). Then, it is necessary
smartphone screen. to reconstruct the graphic using only the pairs
Figure 2(a) shows a screenshot with typical between points B and E as shown in figure 3. This
experimental data acquired by the smartphone figure shows a typical plot (closed circles) for the
and figure 2(b) shows the correspondent signal magnetic field versus time in the time interval
measured with the PC. The signal peak can be corresponding to the backward movement from
positive or negative depending on the polarity the magnet. The inset shows the full data corre
connection of the copper wire coil to the sound sponding to those from figure 2(a).
September 2019 4 Phys. Ed4c. 54 (2019) 055006
Studying Faraday’s law of induction with smartphone and a personal computer
–1.00
E
B (×10–4 T) 3rd order polynomial fit
–2.00
–3.00
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15
t(s)
Figure 3. The inset is the plot of the full magnetic field data like in figure 2(a) and the main plot is just a fraction
of the data related to the magnetic field’s variation. ‘B’ and ‘E’ (see arrows) indicates the border points of the
data where magnetic field varies due to the button release process. The dashed line is the 3rd order polynomial fit.
Using the spreadsheet’s curve adjusting figure 4 are not presented in this paper. The deriva-
tool (tendency line), we have to fit a 3rd order tive from the 3rd polynomial fit from data in fig-
polynomial function to those points. The dashed ure 3 is shown in the inset of figure 4. That inset
line in figure 3 is the polynomial fit. Despite the shows a 2nd order polynomial function that has a
lack of physical meaning, a 3rd order polyno- maximum in (0.075 s, 2.196 × 10−6 Wb s−1) and
mial function has a derivative that is a 2nd order the pair (2.196 × 10−6 Wb s−1, −0.396 a.u.) is the
polynomial function having, in this case, just one experimental data point inside the dashed circle in
maximum that is exactly what is expected con- figure 4. In the classroom application of our pro-
sidering that the maximum magnetic field time posal, the insets in figures 3 and 4 not necessarily
variation occurs just once in each release process, must be constructed for all data points.
i.e. when in a given release process the magnet Fitting a linear function to the set of pairs
speed is maximum. Another reason is that there is in figure 4, quite a good result can be observed,
a practical rule for determining the critical value, with a R2 = 0.99. The fitting function, obtained
the maximum value in this case, of a 2nd polyno- with the tendency line tool from the spreadsheet,
mial function that is familiar to secondary school is given by:
students. So, determining the maximum value of
the 2nd polynomial function we get the maximum dΦm
εm = −200 570
(3) + 0.03.
magnetic field time rate. dt
The maximum magnetic field time rate is
Given equation (3), these results confirm the
multiplied by the mean area of the copper wire
relation presented in equation (1), i.e. that there
coil to give the approximated dΦ dt that, according
m
is a linear relation between magnetic flux time
to equations (1), must be proportional to εm meas- rate and the induced emf at the copper wire coil.
ured with Audacity. Although the slope in equation (3) depends on the
We repeated these procedures five more times sound card’s settings, this value also depends on
getting a set of pairs for dΦdt and εm that is pre-
m the number of turns of the coil and its radius (mean
sented as a graphic in figure 4. Among these pairs, radius). The mean radius, for your time, depends
just one (inside the dashed circle) corresponds on the number of turns once the turns are superim-
to the data in figures 2(b) and 3. The data that posed. So, if the teacher has enough time, it is quite
gave rise to the other five experimental points in interesting to change the number of turns (reducing
September 2019 5 Phys. Educ. 54 (2019) 055006
A A Soares and T O Reis
0.00 2.00
dΦ (×10–6 Wb s–1)
1.00
εm (arbitrary units)
dt
0.00
0.00 0.07 0.14
–0.50 t(s)
–1.00
0.00 2.50 5.00
dΦm
(×10–6 Wb s–1)
dt
Figure 4. Audacity’s minimum wave amplitude versus the magnetic flux time rate. The point in the dashed red
circle was obtained from the data of the figures 2(b) and 3. The inset shows the derivative from the 3rd order
polynomial fit in figure 3.
to the half, for example) and run the experiment The experiment allows the teacher to give
again. In this case, to better visualize the data on the students experimental proof of the linear-
Audacity’s screen, the sound card settings must be ity of Faraday’s law of induction by confirm-
adjusted to show a suitable amplitude for the wave- ing the relation given in equation (1). It can be
form (the largest value of the induced emf resulting performed as a demonstrative experiment or in
in a full-scale Audacity signal, for example). a lab (or even in the classroom) where the stu-
dents can execute the experiment themselves.
The last option, that allows students to interact
4. Conclusions
with the physical system, is more effective for
In this paper, we presented an experiment to meaningful learning about this important topic
quantitatively study Faraday’s law of induction of electromagnetism.
using elements related to ICT. The experiment
is quite easy to execute but requires knowledge
Received 19 March 2019, in final form 24 April 2019
about magnetic fields and its properties and an Accepted for publication 4 June 2019
introductory level about polynomial functions https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ab26ec
derivative and its relation with the mathematical
function critical points. References
The experiment is suitable for both sec- [1] UNESCO 2015 Incheon Declaration and
ondary school and introductory undergraduate Framework for Action for the implementation
courses. With quite good precision, it is possible of Sustainable Development Goal 4
to measure the time dynamics of the magnetic (https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/
pf0000245656)
field and the Audacity waveform amplitude that [2] Moraru S I S and Popescu F F 2011 Rom. Rep.
is proportional to the induced emf on a copper Phys. 63 577
wire coil. Those measures are made using two [3] Efe R 2011 Educ. Technol. Soc. 14 228
devices that are constant in the students’ day, [4] Wood D and Sebranek J 2013 Phys. Teach. 51 344
driving them to intrinsic motivation. Besides, our [5] Hessel R 2011 Phys. Teach. 49 184
[6] Hessel R, Freschi A A and Santos F J 2015 Rev.
proposal includes some elements that are in the Bras. Ens. Fis. 37 1506
context of the learner’s daily routine contributing [7] Kingman R, Rowland C S and Popescu S 2002
to the low-cost characteristic. Am. J. Phys. 70 595
September 2019 6 Phys. Ed4c. 54 (2019) 055006
Studying Faraday’s law of induction with smartphone and a personal computer
A A Soares is a professor of T O Reis has a degree in Physics
physics at the Universidade and a MSc degree in Teachin
Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Physics at Universidade Federal de
Sorocaba campus. He obtained his São Carlos (UFSCar).
PhD in Atomic Physics at
Universidade de Campinas
(UNICAMP).
September 2019 7 Phys. Educ. 54 (2019) 055006
