Lenz's Law

Lenz's law /ˈlɛntsɨz lɔː/ is a common way of understanding how electromagnetic circuits obey Newton's third law and the conservation of energy. Lenz's law is named after Heinrich Lenz, and it says:

An induced electromotive force (emf) always gives rise to a current whose magnetic field opposes the original change in magnetic flux.

Lenz's law is shown with the minus sign in Faraday's law of induction, which indicates that the induced emf and the change in flux have opposite signs.

For a rigorous mathematical treatment, see electromagnetic induction and Maxwell's equations.

Read more about Lenz's Law:  Opposing Currents, Detailed Interaction of Charges in These Currents

Famous quotes containing the word law:

    Nothing in the world is single;
    All things by a law divine
    In one spirit meet and mingle.
    Why not I with thine?
    Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822)