Lenz's Law - Summary

Summary

The video is a show on YouTube called "Michael's Toys" hosted by Michael Stevens, a teenager who enjoys cooking and is fascinated by magnets. The episode revolves around the strongest magnetic field he has ever been inside, a 3 Tesla MRI at UC Irvine.

The host explains that the strength of a magnet is measured by its magnetic flux density, also known as Tesla. He provides several comparisons to put the strength of a 3 Tesla MRI into perspective. For instance, the Earth's magnetic field strength is about 31 microteslas, while a typical refrigerator magnet has a magnetic flux density of about 500 milliteslas.

The host demonstrates the powerful magnetic field of the MRI by showing that it can pull ferromagnetic metals from your hand at dangerous speeds. He also explains that non-ferromagnetic metals like aluminum exhibit strange behaviors in a magnetic field. For example, an aluminum block falls slowly when placed near the MRI, demonstrating the anti-gravity effect of the magnetic field.

The host then demonstrates how a magnet can affect the movement of a block of aluminum. He shows that the block falls slowly when it's placed near the MRI, but it falls quickly when it's placed near a copper pipe, which doesn't interact with the magnet. This is due to Lenz's law, which states that a changing magnetic field will induce an electric current in a conductor, and this current will create a magnetic field that opposes the original magnetic field.

The host also discusses the concept of eddy currents, which are currents induced in a conductor by a changing magnetic field. He explains that the energy to create these currents comes from the falling magnets.

Finally, the host mentions that the MRI at UC Irvine is cooled by liquid helium, making it a superconductor with almost no resistance. This allows it to act as a giant electromagnet. He also explains that to turn off the MRI, you have to quench it by shooting out the liquid helium, which creates a dramatic plume of helium gas and condensed liquid water from the air.

Facts

1. The host of the YouTube show "Michael's Toys" is Michael Stevens, who is a teenager who likes to cook.
2. The show is about magnets, specifically the strongest magnetic field that the host has ever been inside, which is a 3 Tesla MRI at UC Irvine.
3. The host had a lot of MRI scans done of his brain for mine field season two and learned a lot about them.
4. The host brought in a giant block of aluminum to demonstrate how a strong magnetic field affects non-ferromagnetic materials.
5. The host demonstrated that magnets can slow down the fall of non-ferromagnetic materials like aluminum.
6. The host explained that this is due to Lenz's law, which states that a changing magnetic field will induce an electric current in a conductor.
7. The host showed a demonstration involving breakfast cereals and a bowl of water, which can be explained by the presence of iron in the cereal.
8. The host performed a recipe involving a nail and copper wire, which induced a magnetic field when current was passed through the wire, demonstrating how electric current can produce a magnetic field.
9. The host explained that a moving magnetic field can generate electric current, which is how electric generators work.
10. The host performed another demonstration, this time involving a copper pipe and neodymium disk magnets. The pipe was moved quickly near the magnets, which caused them to move due to the changing magnetic field induced in the copper pipe.
11. The host explained that the energy to produce the electric current and magnetic field comes from the falling magnets, as some of their energy is converted into these forms.
12. The host mentioned that the MRI machine he used for Mine Field Season 2 was a giant electromagnet, which was cooled by liquid helium to near absolute zero, making it a superconductor.
13. The host explained that to turn off the magnet in the MRI, it needs to be quenched, which releases the liquid helium and causes resistance to come back into the coil, ceasing it to be an electromagnet.
14. The host mentioned that the energy to keep the electromagnet running is very minimal, as it only takes the energy to keep the helium cool.