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OCR GCSE Physics Notes | P4

  • Motor effect
    • Current flows in the wire/coil.
    • This creates a magnetic field around the wire/coil.
    • This magnetic field interacts with the field from the permanent magnet.
    • This produces a force on the wire/coil which moves the wire/coil.
    • The split-ring commutator changes the direction of the current every half turn as it spins. This reverses the direction of the forces, allowing the coil to continue spinning.
  • Fleming's left hand rule can tell us the diirection of the motion
    • Thumb - motion
    • First finger - field (north to south)
    • Second finger - current (tall to short)
  • F = BIl
  • Induced potential difference: caused by a change in the magnetic field around a conductor.
  • Alternators are
  • Dynamos are used to generate direct current (dc) from kinetic energy:
    • Coil is rotated within a magnetic field
    • As it turns the coil cuts the magnetic field lines.
    • This induces a voltage (or current) in the coil.
  • How a transformer works
    • alternating current in the primary coil means current is constantly changing direction.
    • this means that magnetic field is constantly changing.
    • (which is connected to the secondary coil by the iron core)
    • which induces a voltage in the secondary coil
    • which induces a current in the second circuit.
  • Why does a step-up transformer have more turns in the secondary coil?
    • more potential difference is induced in the secondary coil
    • so therefore we induce less current
    • since power is held constant and P = IV
  • How to build a step-up transformer
    • wind two coils of wire around an iron core
    • the secondary coil should have more turns
    • connect the primary coil to an a.c. supply
  • Step up transformers increase voltage: more turns in secondary coil.
  • Step down transformer decrease voltage: less turns in secondary coil.
  • Microphone - converts pressure variations of sound waves into variations in current
  • Loudspeakers - opposite (same as motor effect except use an alternating current)
    • An alternating current from source passes though coils in speaker
    • This creates a magnetic field around the coil
    • This field interacts with the magnetic field from the permanent magnets
    • Creating a constantly changing force on the coil.
    • This causes the coil to vibrate which we hear as sound waves.