Measuring velocity by electromagnetic induction

This Studio project combined mechanics with electromagnetism. The e.m.f. induced in a set of vertically displaced coils as a magnet was thrown inside a cylindrical column was measured. The data was imported into a computer and speeds of the falling magnets were determined using two approaches. One was a naive approach determining speed from distance divide by transit time. The distance was the length of the coil. In a more accurate approach, however, we theoretically investigated the magnetic field due to a moving dipole inside a pickup coil. From this a mathematical model was derived which was fit onto experimentally determined curves, yielding accurate estimates of the velocities.