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United StatesPhysics 2

Unit 12: Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does a changing magnetic field create a voltage, and which way does the induced current flow?

Topic 12.4 Electromagnetic Induction and Faraday's Law: apply Faraday's law and Lenz's law to find the emf and current induced by a changing magnetic flux.
A focused answer to AP Physics 2 Topic 12.4, covering magnetic flux, Faraday's law of induction, the induced emf from a changing flux, Lenz's law for the direction of the induced current, motional emf, and applications to generators and transformers, with full worked examples.
12 min answer →

What is a magnetic field, and why do magnetic field lines always form closed loops?

Topic 12.1 Magnetic Fields: describe magnetic fields, their sources, the dipole nature of magnets, and the representation of fields with field lines.
A focused answer to AP Physics 2 Topic 12.1, covering magnetic fields and their units, the dipole nature of all magnets, why field lines form closed loops with no magnetic monopoles, the field of a bar magnet and the Earth, and ferromagnetism, with full worked examples.
10 min answer →

How does a current create a magnetic field, and what force does a field exert on a current?

Topic 12.3 Magnetism and Current-Carrying Wires: relate currents to the magnetic fields they create and the forces they experience in a field.
A focused answer to AP Physics 2 Topic 12.3, covering the magnetic field around a straight current-carrying wire, the right-hand rule for its direction, the field of a solenoid, the force on a current-carrying wire F = BIL sin theta, and the forces between parallel currents, with full worked examples.
12 min answer →

What force does a magnetic field exert on a moving charge, and why does it make charges move in circles?

Topic 12.2 Magnetism and Moving Charges: calculate the magnetic force on a moving charge and describe the resulting circular motion.
A focused answer to AP Physics 2 Topic 12.2, covering the magnetic force on a moving charge F = qvB sin theta, the right-hand rule for direction, why the force does no work, the resulting circular motion and its radius, and the dependence on the angle to the field, with full worked examples.
12 min answer →