The Physics 212 Puzzler

In the simple linear dipole antenna (like the typical antenna on a car or rabbit ears on a TV set) the alternating electric field in the electromagnetic wave sent out by the broadcasting station moves the electrons back and forth along the antenna's length. But a radio or TV receiving antenna can also be made from a loop. Explain how this works.

As a hint, note the two orientations of the antennas in the picture. For the orientation which provides good reception, the plane of the loop is the same as the one that contains the broadcast antenna. In the diagram above, this is the plane of the page. For the orientation which provides poor reception, the plane of the loop is perpendicular to the page.



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