Since the solenoid coil is widely used in everyday life, many examples are included in the curriculum textbook of the 2015 revision, but the inquiry activity is much lacking. In this study, the magnetic forces originated in the effect of the mutual in...
Since the solenoid coil is widely used in everyday life, many examples are included in the curriculum textbook of the 2015 revision, but the inquiry activity is much lacking. In this study, the magnetic forces originated in the effect of the mutual inductance between a magnet and a solenoid are systematically investigated. To do this, to begin with, we examined several formulas for magnetic fields on the axis of a magnetic dipole, a circular loop, and a solenoid. It is found that if the length of the solenoid is shortened to zero, the formula for the magnetic field of the solenoid becomes that of the circular loop and if the radius of magnet is reduced to zero it becomes that of the magnetic dipole. Next, we measured the magnetic fields on the axis of magnets and found that the magnetic field of a magnet is very similar to that of a solenoid coil and thus considered the magnet as a solenoid.
In addition, we derived a formula for the magnetic force between a magnet and a solenoid, based on the mutual inductance effect and compared the theoretical values and measured ones. The measurement of the force is done with a MBL system composed of a force sensor and Vernier Lab Quest. The measured magnetic force between the magnet and the solenoid differs somewhat from the theoretical value because the measured magnetic field on the axis of the solenoid coil slightly differs from the theoretical values. But, the measured magnetic values reveal a good tendency with theoretical ones. Considering this, Equation (20) is valid and it is a useful formula for studying the magnetic force between a magnet and a solenoid.
The results of this study will also help to understand the law of the hook, the harmonic oscillation, and the damped harmonic oscillation. This activity will allow students to lead to an interest, curiosity in physics and an integrated view of electricity/magnetics and mechanics. Further research on this subject is needed in the next studies.