Teaching Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction in an introductory physics course

Teaching Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction in introductory physics courses is challenging. We discuss some inaccuracies in describing a moving conductor in the context of electromagnetic induction. Among them is the use of the ambiguous term “area change” and the unclear relation between Faraday’s law and Maxwell’s equation for the electric field circulation. We advocate the use of an expression for Faraday’s law that shows explicitly the contribution of the time variation of the magnetic field and the action of the Lorentz force, which are usually taught separately. This expression may help students’ understanding of Faraday’s law and lead to improved problem solving skills.