.. 2.12

A simple AC generator
=====================

**Objective**

Measure the frequency and amplitude of the voltage induced across a
solenoid coil by a rotating magnet. Use the 10 mm x 10 mm magnet and the
3000T coils that comes with the kit.

.. image:: schematics/ac-generator.svg
	   :width: 300px
.. image:: pics/ac-gen-screen.png
	   :width: 300px

**Procedure**

-  Mount the magnet horizontally and power the DC motor from a 1.5 volts
   cell
-  Enable A1 and A2, with analysis option
-  Set timebase to 100 mS full scale
-  Bring the coil near the magnet (not to touch it), watch the induced
   voltage
-  Repeat the experiment using 2 coils.

**Discussion**

The voltage output is shown in figure. The phase difference between the
two voltages depends on the angle between the axes of the two coils.

Bring a shorted coil near the magnet to observe the change in frequency.
The shorted coil is drawing energy from the generator and the speed get
reduced. The magnetic field in this generator is very weak. The
resistance of the coil is very high and trying to draw any current from
it will drop most of the voltage across the coil itself.
