if you drop a magnet through a hollow copper pipe, the magnet seems to fall slower than you would expect. use lenz's law to explain why this phenomenon occurs.
Lenz's law is a fundamental principle in electromagnetism that states that an induced current in a conductor will always produce a magnetic field that opposes the change in the magnetic field that produced it.
When a magnet is dropped through a hollow copper pipe, it creates a changing magnetic field due to its movement. According to Lenz's law, the induced current in the copper pipe will generate a magnetic field that opposes the change in the magnetic field caused by the magnet.
This opposing magnetic field produced by the induced current in the copper pipe acts as an opposing force to the motion of the magnet. As a result, the magnet experiences a drag force due to this opposing magnetic field.
This drag force slows down the fall of the magnet, making it appear that it is falling slower than expected in the absence of the copper pipe. The stronger the opposing magnetic field generated by the current induced in the copper pipe, the greater the drag force, and the slower the magnet will fall.
Therefore, the phenomenon of a magnet falling slower than expected through a hollow copper pipe can be explained by the application of Lenz's law, which states that the induced current in the copper pipe generates a magnetic field that opposes the magnet's changing magnetic field, causing a drag force that reduces its acceleration.