Eddy Currents and the Hulk Force

Grade:

7

Teacher:

Georgina Matzkin

Last summer, I attended a physics course at the Simon Fraser University and saw a demonstration of eddy currents where a magnet slowed down when it fell through a copper tube. I thought that this was cool, so, in this science fair, I want to study Eddy currents and Lenz’s Law. Eddy currents and Lenz’s Law are interesting because the more force you apply to it, the more it resists, and it is not impacted by direction. This is like a “Hulk Force:” the angrier you push it, the stronger it gets. During this Science Fair, I thought that eddy currents on a nonferromagnetic conductor, specifically a silver coin, would decrease with distance, and I was mostly correct. When the distance was 2 mm, the time was an average of 0.914±0.117 seconds. When the distance was 13.2 mm, the average time is 0.624±0.027 seconds. This is a clear average drop and comparable to the porcelain time at 2mm. My experiments demonstrate that eddy currents can slow down nonferromagnetic conducting metals, which can be useful for high-speed trains and keep us safe. This is because as high-speed trains approach their station, if the mechanism in the train doesn't slow them down enough, eddy currents can be a back up, causing the train to slow down. Similarly, eddy currents can be also used in roller coasters, with the use of permanent magnets that work even during a power outage. I also think that eddy currents can be used to design a revolutionary workout equipment, such that the harder you work, the more it will push back.

Project presentation