O-Level Physics Induction Practical: A Magnet, Coil and Galvanometer
Observe induced current with a passive magnet-and-coil setup.
- Compare movement, direction and poles, and understand what a galvanometer deflection can show.
A magnet held still inside a stationary coil gives a different observation from a magnet moving through it. Changing the magnetic flux linked with the coil induces an electromotive force. In a closed conducting circuit, the resulting current can deflect a galvanometer.
This supervised reference setup uses an ordinary supplied bar magnet, a coil and a trainer-approved centre-zero galvanometer. No external power supply is connected. Read the general lab safety guide before the apparatus briefing.
Know what the instrument measures
The 2026 O-Level Physics syllabus, 6091, includes electromagnetic-induction investigations on pages 31-32. The Institute of Physics magnet-and-coil activity illustrates the changing-flux and current distinction.
A galvanometer responds to current. Its needle movement is not a direct voltage reading or a calibrated measurement of emf unless additional suitable equipment and a defined method are supplied. Describe the observation as a deflection, its direction and its approximate size under the same arrangement.
Deflection direction depends on the connections and pole movement. Record which pole enters which end of the coil and how the meter leads are connected before labelling a direction. There is no universal rule that an entering north pole always makes every meter deflect left.
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