IGCSE 0625 / Section 4.5.1 / Core

Movement makes voltage.

Push a magnet into a coil and a meter flicks, even though no battery is anywhere in sight. The moving field alone conjures a voltage. Stop moving it and the voltage vanishes at once.

The key idea

Moving a conductor across a magnetic field, or changing the field through a coil, induces an e.m.f. The induced e.m.f. is larger when the movement is faster, the field stronger, or the coil has more turns. Reversing the motion reverses the induced current.

Definition · learn the exact words

Electromagnetic induction is the inducing of an e.m.f. when a conductor cuts magnetic field lines, or when the magnetic field through a coil changes.

faster motion, stronger field, more turns → larger e.m.f.

A stationary magnet inside a coil induces nothing. The field must be changing. Reversing the motion reverses the induced current.

Section 01

Move the magnet, watch the meter.

Move a magnet in and out of a coil and see the induced e.m.f. respond to the speed and direction.

Stage 1 · Learn

Check induction

Four quick checks. Each correct answer earns XP and lights this skill on your star map.

Quick check+10 XP

An e.m.f. is induced in a coil when...

Quick check+10 XP

Moving the magnet faster into the coil induces...

Quick check+10 XP

Using a coil with more turns gives...

Quick check+10 XP

A magnet held perfectly still inside a coil induces...

Section 02

What makes the e.m.f. bigger.

The induced e.m.f. depends on how fast the field changes, how strong it is, and how many turns the coil has.

Examiner trap

An e.m.f. is induced only while the field through the coil is changing. A magnet held still inside a coil induces nothing. It must be moving, or the current switching, for induction to happen.

Stage 2 · Exam

Exam-style questions

Unlocks once the four checks above are done. Worth more XP, written in the style of Paper 2.

Finish the four checks above to unlock the exam questions
Exam style+20 XP

A magnet is pushed into a coil, inducing a current one way. When the magnet is pulled back out, the current...

Exam style+20 XP

Which change would increase the e.m.f. induced as a magnet moves into a coil?

Exam style+20 XP

A bar magnet rests motionless inside a coil connected to a sensitive meter. The meter reads...

Skill unlocked

Induction, mastered.

Electromagnetic induction is mapped. Keep the chain going.

-Rank -Level -Score -Topics
Go deeper · practice
Six original Cambridge-style questions
Inducing an e.m.f. by a changing field, the factors that affect its size, and the direction of the induced current. Attempt each, then reveal the worked solution.
Stage 3 · master the unit
Electricity and magnetism challenge
Mixed questions across the whole unit, each one worth XP. Start this only when you feel confident across every topic in the unit, not just induction.
Start the unit challenge →