Common Misapplications of the Faraday Induction Rule
Abstract
Recent experiences with reviewers of a manuscript on railgun physics indicate widespread misapplications of the concepts pertaining to electromotive force, potential difference, and voltage. Contributing to this problem is the fact that instances of such misapplications can even be found in outstanding textbooks, such as the Feynmann lectures. Most textbooks introduce the Faraday rule of induction using an armature propelled by an external force along a pair of rails in a magnetic field. This rail/armature configuration is reconsidered here. The discussion of the concepts is expanded to include railguns, where the armature is propelled along a pair of rails by internal forces generated by an applied rail current. Common misapplications of the Faraday rule are examined in terms of these configurations. Such distributed parameter problems are particularly susceptible to error. Correct analyses are offered.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA586740
Entities
People
- Krystyna Truszkowska
- Mark A. Johnson
- Paul J. Cote
Organizations
- United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center