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mediumMCQGATE IN 2025 Question Paper (01-Feb-2025) (Shift 2)Instrumentation Engineering
1 mark (−0.33)

The working of the hand-held metal detector most widely used by security personnel for human frisking is based on the principle of

  1. A
    change in reluctance of an iron core in presence of a metallic object
  2. B
    change in conductance of an iron core in presence of a metallic object
  3. C
    electric field induced by a metallic object
  4. D
    eddy current generation in a metallic object

Solution & Step-by-step Explanation

Metal Detector Working Principle Explained

Hand-held metal detectors are commonly used by security personnel for frisking individuals to detect concealed metallic items. Understanding how these devices operate is crucial.

How Hand-Held Metal Detectors Work

The operation of most widely used hand-held metal detectors relies on the principle of electromagnetic induction, specifically the generation of eddy currents.

- Transmitter Coil: Inside the detector, a coil acts as a transmitter. It carries an alternating electric current, which generates a fluctuating magnetic field around the detector head.
- Interaction with Metallic Objects: When this magnetic field encounters a conductive metallic object (like a weapon or jewelry), it induces circulating currents within that object. These induced currents are known as eddy currents.
- Eddy Currents Create Magnetic Fields: The eddy currents flowing within the metallic object generate their own magnetic field. This secondary magnetic field opposes the original magnetic field produced by the detector's transmitter coil.
- Detection: A second coil (receiver coil) in the detector senses the change in the overall magnetic field caused by the opposing field of the eddy currents. This change might manifest as a change in inductance, frequency, or amplitude in the detector's circuit.
- Alarm: The detector's circuitry processes this change and triggers an audible alarm (a beep) or a visual signal, alerting the security personnel to the presence of a metallic object.

Analyzing the Options

Let's look at why the correct option is the best explanation:

- 1. Change in reluctance of an iron core in presence of a metallic object: While magnetic properties are involved, the primary mechanism isn't solely a change in reluctance of the detector's core. The key is the current induced in the target object.
- 2. Change in conductance of an iron core in presence of a metallic object: Similar to option 1, conductance is a property, but it's not the direct principle. The change in the magnetic field due to induced currents is the core operating factor.
- 3. Electric field induced by a metallic object: While electromagnetic induction involves both electric and magnetic fields, the direct principle exploited here is the generation of currents (eddy currents) by the changing magnetic field and the subsequent magnetic effect of these currents.
- 4. Eddy current generation in a metallic object: This accurately describes the fundamental process. The detector's magnetic field induces eddy currents in the target metal, and these currents disrupt the detector's field, allowing it to be detected.

Conclusion

Therefore, the working of the hand-held metal detector is fundamentally based on the eddy current generation that occurs within a metallic object when it's exposed to the detector's fluctuating magnetic field.

Practice this question

Try it yourself before checking the explanation above.

The working of the hand-held metal detector most widely used by security personnel for human frisking is based on the principle of
A
change in reluctance of an iron core in presence of a metallic object
B
change in conductance of an iron core in presence of a metallic object
C
electric field induced by a metallic object
D
eddy current generation in a metallic object

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