A rail gun uses electromagnetic forces to accelerate aprojectile to very high ve

Question

A rail gun uses electromagnetic forces to accelerate aprojectile to very high velocities. The basic mechanism ofacceleration is relatively simple and can be illustrated in thefollowing example. A metal rod of mass 30.0 g and electrical resistance 0.500 Omega rests on parallel horizontal rails that have negligibleelectric resistance. The rails are a distance L = 8.00 cm apart. The rails are also connected to a voltagesource providing a voltage of V = 5.00 V. The rod is placed in a vertical magnetic field. The rod begins toslide when the field reaches the value B = 0.184 T. Assume that the rod has a slightly flattened bottom sothat it slides instead of rolling. Use 9.80 m/s for the magnitude of the acceleration due togravity. Find mu_s, the coefficient of static friction between the rod andthe rails

Explanation / Answer

We have:
    Force on rod along x axis due to magneticfield                      F   =   B*i*l*sin                            =   0.184*(V/R)*8*10-2 sin 900                            =   0.1472N   staticfriction   F   =   *m*g                              =   *30*10-3*9.8                0.1472   =   *(30*10-3)*9.8] =>     =   0.500

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