Lenz, Heinrich

Heinrich Lenz studied the direction of the current that is induced in a conductor as a result of changing the magnetic field near it. You can think of this as the change in a system in electromagnetic equilibrium. Lenz published his law in 1834. It states that when a conductor interacts with a magnetic field, there must be an induced current that opposes the interaction, because of the law of conservation of energy. Lenz s law is used to explain the direction of the induced current in generators, transformers, inductors, and many other systems. 

Heinrich Friedrich Emil Lenz (1804—1865). 76John Henry Poynting (1852-1914). 

Lenz (pronounced lents), Heinrich Friedrich Emil (1804-1865) was born in Dorpat, Russian Empire (now Tartu, Estonia) and formulated his eponymous law of electromagnetism in 1833. He participated in a round-the-world expedition in 1823-1826 and made extremely accurate measurements of the properties of seawater. 

Heinrich Friedrich Emil Lenz (1804-1865) Russian physicist Dorpat and Saint-Petersburg, Russia. 

Figure 10-9 The external field, Ho, causes movement of the bonding electrons around a hydrogen nucleus. This current, in turn, generates a local magnetic field opposing Hq. [You may recognize this as Lenz s law, named for Russian physicist Heinrich Friedrich Emil Lenz (1804-1865). Note that the direction of electron movement is opposite that of the corresponding electric current, which is defined as flowing from anode (-I-) to cathode (-)].

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