Physics Challenge for Teachers and Students

Solutions to April 2006 Challenge A Faradayan Slip1

Two identical conducting bars rest on two horizontal parallel conducting rails. The bars are perpendicular to the rails and parallel to each other as shown. The distance between the bars is l. At a certain moment, a uniform vertical upward magnetic field is turned on. The field quickly reaches its maximum magnitude and then remains constant. Neglecting friction, find the new distance between the bars. Assume that the resistance of each bar is much greater than the resistance of the rails.

(respectively), we have
F 2 x = 2 = ( IwB ) = m m 2wB = wB d ( xwB ) m 2 R mR dt w 2B ( xB + xB), = mR

(top view)
1. Adapted from Physics Olympiads, by A.I. Slobodyanuk, L.G. Markovich, and A.V. Lavrinenko, published by Aversev, Minsk (2003) (in Russian).

where m and R are the mass and resistance of each rod and w is the separation of the rails. Because the field is turned on quickly, we may assume that it reaches its maximum value . while x remains small and before x has a chance to change very much from its initial value, l. Thus, during the turning on phase the second term in Eq. (1) is
x w2B w 2l d (lB ) = 2mR dt B 2 , mR

Solution: First, it should be noted immediately that a trivial dimensional analysis reveals that the answer can only be zero or a numerical multiple of l. Its not hard to guess (see my postscript) that the answer might well be l . The 2 somewhat harder part is proving it.

which can be integrated over the brief time that the field is changing to find
x final V =
2 w 2lBfinal . 2mR

At later times the first term in Eq. (1) is strictly zero so that 2 w 2 Bfinal x, x = mR The changing flux due to the magnetic field B out of the page induces an emf that drives a current I clockwise (by Lenzs law) around the loop. As a result, magnetic forces F act on the rods, causing them to move closer together. Letting the separation of the rods at any specific time be x, we find by symmetry that the accel.. eration of each rod is x /2. Thus, by Newtons second law, the expression for the force on a segment of wire, Ohms law, and Faradays law showing that the rod subsequently decelerates to rest. This relationship is trivially integrated once (starting at the beginning of the constant B phase) to find that
2 w 2 B final x (V ) = mR x

x 2x = 1. V l

. From which xfinal (the value of x when x = 0)

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can immediately be read off.

x final = l 2

Many other readers also sent us the solutions, although not all were correct. We would like to recognize the following contributors: Marianne Breinig (The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN) Don Easton (Lacombe, Alberta, Canada) Fredrick P. Gram (Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH) Art Hovey (Milford, CT) David Jones (Miami Palmetto Sr. High School, Miami, FL) J. Iiguez (Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain) Stephen McAndrew (Trinity Grammar School, Summer Hill, NSW, Australia) Carl E. Mungan (U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD) Many thanks to all contributors and we hope to hear from you in the future! Please send correspondence to: Boris Korsunsky 444 Wellesley St. Weston, MA 02493-2631 korsunbo@post.harvard.edu

Postscript: As mentioned at the start, this result might well have been anticipated from a combination of 1) the dimensional analysis argument, 2) the fact that the rods clearly get closer together, and 3) an analogy with other problems in which reaching a new equilibrium involves energy dissipation. For instance, when a fully charged capacitor is connected to an identical uncharged capacitor, half the energy is lost and the final potential difference is half the original value. This result depends on there being resistance in the system. Without it we get LC oscillations with each capacitors potential difference oscillating about half the original value. Similarly, in this problem the resistance is vital in order to allow the magnetic flux through the loop to change from its original value, zero. If the rods had moved to conserve the flux, they would have ended up at a separation of zero, with the resistance they moved just half that far, and ended up with half the flux they would have had if they hadnt moved at all. The answer doesnt depend on R as long as there is some R. (Contributed by A. John Mallinckrodt, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA)

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