Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
⚛️

Electromagnetic induction

physical science Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Have you ever wondered how we make electricity? A very important way it works is called electromagnetic induction.

Electromagnetic induction - solenoid to loop - animation
Electromagnetic induction - solenoid to loop - animation

This happens when a magnetic field changes near an electrical conductor. This change creates an electromotive force, or emf. You can think of emf as a push that makes electricity flow. This discovery is a huge part of how our modern world runs. It allows us to turn motion into the power we use every day.

To understand how it works, we must look at magnetic flux. Magnetic flux is like the amount of magnetic field lines passing through a loop of wire.

VFPt Solenoid correct2
VFPt Solenoid correct2

Faraday's law says that if this flux changes, an emf is created. There are a few ways to make this change happen. You can move a wire loop through a magnetic field. You can also move a magnet near a stationary wire. Another way is to spin a loop inside a magnetic field. Even changing the shape of the loop can work.

This amazing thing was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1831.

Induction experiment
Induction experiment

He used an iron ring with two wires wrapped around it. He noticed a "wave of electricity" when he connected a battery. This happened because the magnetic flux changed at that moment. He also found that sliding a bar magnet in and out of a coil worked. He even made a disk that created a steady current. While many scientists doubted his ideas, they were very important.

Other scientists helped explain the math behind Faraday's work. James Clerk Maxwell used Faraday's ideas to create a math theory.

Solenoid-1
Solenoid-1

He created the Maxwell-Faraday equation to describe the process. In 1834, Heinrich Lenz made a rule called Lenz's law. This law tells us the direction of the new electric current. It says the current will flow to oppose the change that made it. This is a very important part of how electromagnetism works.

We use electromagnetic induction in many tools around us. Electrical generators use it to change motion into electricity.

Spindle
Spindle

Transformers use it to move power between different wires. Some special tools, called magnetic flow meters, use it to measure liquids. Even some brakes use something called eddy currents.

Hawkins Electrical Guide - Figure 291 - Formation of eddy currents in a solid bar inductor
Hawkins Electrical Guide - Figure 291 - Formation of eddy currents in a solid bar inductor

These are small loops of electricity that form in metal. This science connects motion, magnets, and electricity together.

383 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (10)
File:Electromagnetic_induction_-_solenoid_to_loop_-_animation.gif
Electromagnetic_induction_-_solenoid_to_lo...
File:Induction experiment.png
Induction experiment.png
File:Solenoid-1.png
Solenoid-1.png
File:VFPt_Solenoid_correct2.svg
VFPt_Solenoid_correct2.svg
File:Spindle.PNG
Spindle.PNG
File:Current Clamp.jpg
Current Clamp.jpg
File:Hawkins Electrical Guide - Figure 292 - Eddy currents in a solid armature.jpg
Hawkins Electrical Guide - Figure 292 -...
File:Hawkins Electrical Guide - Figure 293 - Armature core with a few laminations showing effect on eddy currents.jpg
Hawkins Electrical Guide - Figure 293 -...
File:Small DC Motor pole laminations and overview.jpg
Small DC Motor pole laminations and overview.jpg
File:Hawkins Electrical Guide - Figure 291 - Formation of eddy currents in a solid bar inductor.jpg
Hawkins Electrical Guide - Figure 291 -...
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.