Foucault dissipation in a rolling cylinder: a webcam quantitative study

Abstract

In this paper we present an experimental strategy to measure the micro power dissipation due to Foucault 'eddy' currents in a copper cylinder rolling on two parallel conductive rails in the presence of a magnetic field. Foucault power dissipation is obtained from kinematical measurements carried out by using a common PC webcam and video analysis done by means of software tools freely available within Windows operating system (Paint and Movie Maker). The proposed method allows us to experimentally discern the contribution to dissipation due to the velocity-independent rolling friction from that owed to the viscous-like friction emerging from complex electrodynamic interactions among eddy currents and the external magnetic field. In this way a microdissipation of some tens of µW is measured. The easily reproducible experimental setup, the simple implementation of data analysis and the discussion on various experimental approaches and strategies make the proposed activity highly significant for university undergraduates, since involved crucial skills can be efficiently strengthened.