In the context of Faraday’s Law of Electromagnetic Induction, ‘dt’ refers to an infinitesimal change in time. Faraday’s Law states that the electromotive force (EMF) induced in a circuit is proportional to the rate at which the magnetic flux through the circuit changes over time. This rate of change is represented mathematically as the derivative of magnetic flux with respect to time.
The relationship can be expressed as:
EMF = – dΦ/dt
Where:
- EMF is the electromotive force in volts.
- dΦ is the infinitesimal change in magnetic flux, measured in webers.
- dt is the infinitesimal change in time, measured in seconds.
The negative sign in the equation indicates the direction of induced EMF according to Lenz’s Law, which states that the induced current will flow in a direction that opposes the change in magnetic flux. Thus, ‘dt’ plays a crucial role in understanding how quickly the magnetic environment around a conductor is changing, which directly influences the amount of electric current induced in the conductor.