# Pulling a bar through a magnetic field

This is a question on magnetic flux and induced voltage. I believe that this problem's answer key is incorrect, and I want to determine whether my opinion is sound. I also want to explore one sub-question of the problem.

1. How can a bar being pulled through a magnetic field have any flux through it? For flux to exist, doesn't a magnetic field need to run through some area? Shouldn't the area also be completely enclosed by a wire?
2. If the electric field is $V/l$, shouldn't $E$ = $Blv/2l$, where l is the length of one bar in the square figure? If this is true, shouldn't $E = vB/2$?
3. The solution solves for electric field magnitude by reasoning that $|F_{B}|$ = $F_{E}$. This seems reasonable. In conjunction with the reasoning in my second question, that $V/l = E$, can some conceptual explanation be understood? I have the impression that something unites the same answer being arrived at through two ways.

• Since the magnetic field is constant, even if you had a closed loop of wire moving at some velocity, the change in flux would be zero. This is a simpler Lorentz Force law problem, $F=qv \times B$. When the bar reaches a steady state, magnetic and electric forces must balance. – MonkeysUncle Mar 5 '15 at 1:47

But you can move a conductor through a magnetic field, and it will experience a magnetic force. The protons and bound electrons feel a force, the net force on those will be in the opposite direction of the force the mobile electrons feel, and the net effect of those net forces will be to strain the solid lattice due to the stress, so your bar might deform ever so sightly. The mobile charges however will start to accumulate on end (and leave a deficit on the other end). Eventually the charge imbalance will counteract the magnetic force and equilibrium will be achieved. That's part b,c, and d which all look fine (though note that the direction of the magnetic force listed as pointing down is really the direction of the magnetic force per unit charge, but that's fine, it is supposed to counterbalance the electric field which points in the direction of force per unit charge). Part a is not OK, but for that you can instead find the magnetic force as $q\vec v\times \vec B$ and then get a force per unit charge as $v\times \vec B$, also this is only a first approximation, the charges don't move exactly at $\vec v$ moving the the right, when there is a current they also have some motion up an down. For a thin wire there are forces keeping the charge inside the wire and they can (potentially) counter balance any force other in a direction other than the up and down force.
• Note that the vertical motion of the charges does not produce a vertical force, so your comment about "first approximation" seems superfluous. The force is $\vec{v} \times \vec{B}$, and the vertical force is $v \times B$ without provisos. – Floris Mar 5 '15 at 4:19