<p>all you physics people…please do me a solid :]</p>
<p>so i understand the whole concept behind lenz’s law. but i have several examples/sketches in my notes that are confusing me. if you have a magnet with the north pole closest to a solenoid (to the right of the coil) and the magnet is being pulled to the right, then you know the B-field of the coil is to the left, CORRECT? and is it also true that the current flows either one way or another through a wire, depending on which way it is coiled? if these are true, then i wouldn’t need to apply the right-hand rule, correct? PLEASE HELP!</p>
<p>If the magnet is pulled away from the coil (to the right), the coil’s magnetic field will oppose motion and pull to the left (attracting the magnet and providing some resistance to it’s motion). </p>
<p>Lenz’s Law states that an induced current’s direction always opposes the change causing it.</p>
<p>To determine the direction of the induced current, use the right hand rule. If the magnet is moving away, point your thumb opposite the direction of motion (shows direction of solenoid’s magnetic field) and curl your fingers. In this case, if the solenoid is facing you, and the magnet is moving towards you (and away from the solenoid), the induced current will flow in a clockwise direction.</p>