A rod sliding on rails
"A rod sliding on rails" is a free, interactive Class 12 Physics simulation for NEET and JEE, built on the lesson "Motional emf" in Electromagnetic Induction. The field points into the screen. Change the field and the rod's speed, and watch the current and the force on the rod. Motional emf ε = Blv drives I = Blv/R. The force BIl opposes the motion (Lenz's law), and the work done against it becomes heat in the resistor: Fv = ε²/R. JEE Main asked 29 questions from this chapter across the 42 shifts Lumi has analysed (2017–2026).
From the lesson Motional emf in Electromagnetic Induction. Change the values and watch what happens.
In JEE Main
42 shifts analysed
29 questions from Electromagnetic Induction across the 42 JEE Main shifts Lumi has analysed (2017–2026).
The idea behind it
NCERT §6.6
- A rod of length l slides at speed v along two rails in a uniform field B at right angles to the plane of the circuit. The enclosed area changes at the rate lv, so the flux Blx changes at Blv and the induced emf is ε = Blv. This is called motional emf.
- Lorentz-force view: every free charge q in the rod moves with it at speed v, so it feels a force qvB along the rod. Carrying a charge along the rod's length l takes work qvBl, and emf is work per unit charge, so ε = Blv again.
- Here the flux changes because the conductor moves through a steady field. When the conductor is at rest and the field changes, v = 0 and the only possible force is qE, so a changing magnetic field must create an electric field.
- The electric field made by a changing magnetic field behaves differently from the field of static charges. Moving charges exert forces on magnets, and moving magnets exert forces on charges: electricity and magnetism are linked.
- With the rails closed through a resistance R, the current is I = Blv/R. The field then pushes on the current-carrying rod with a force BIl that opposes its motion, as Lenz's law requires; keeping v steady needs an equal pull.
Questions
3 answers
- What does the "A rod sliding on rails" simulation show?
- The field points into the screen. Change the field and the rod's speed, and watch the current and the force on the rod.
- Does JEE Main ask questions from Electromagnetic Induction?
- Yes. JEE Main asked 29 questions from this chapter across the 42 shifts Lumi has analysed (2017–2026).
- Is this simulation free?
- Yes. It is free and runs in the browser on a phone or a laptop. It belongs to the lesson "Motional emf" in Electromagnetic Induction (Class 12 Physics).
Embed this simulation
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