Single correct option
Two long, smooth, horizontal conducting rails a distance apart are connected at one end by a capacitor of capacitance , and a uniform vertical magnetic field exists everywhere. A light conducting rod of mass lies across the rails and is pulled from rest by a constant horizontal force along the rails; resistance is negligible. The charge on the capacitor at time is
- A.
- B.
- C.
- D.
Show answer and solution
Answer: (B)
The motional emf is balanced entirely by the capacitor voltage because the resistance is negligible, so . The current is therefore , where is the rod's acceleration. The magnetic force on the rod opposes its motion with magnitude . Newton's second law gives , so , a constant. Then and . The capacitor effectively adds an inertia to the mass. Option A is what one obtains by ignoring the magnetic braking force, and option C has the wrong sign for the added inertia.
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