The Magnetic Field

Unless noted otherwise, all images have been taken from:

Physics for Scientists and Engineers, R.D. Knight, 2nd Ed. Copyright

2008
Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Addison-Wesley.
Reference: Knight 33.1-33.5
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Magnetism
The phenomenon of magnetism has been
known since ancient times due to naturally
occurring magnetic materials such as
loadstone (iron oxide).
Magnetism is used in many modern
applications such as storing digital
information on computer hard disks,
electric motors, magnetic resonance
imaging in medicine, etc.
At a fundamental level, magnetism is due
to an interaction of moving charges.
Basic Concepts
All magnets have both a north and south pole, a magnetic dipole.
An isolated pole (e.g. a north pole, in the absence of a south pole)
would be called a magnetic monopole.
No magnetic monopoles have ever been observed.
Magnetic Field
Define the magnetic field

:
A magnetic field is created by a moving charge
Magnetic field is long range (e.g. exits at all points in space
surrounding a current carrying wire).
The magnetic field at each point is a vector (magnitude and
direction). The magnitude of the field is the magnetic field strength B.
B

Units for B-field:

1 tesla

= 1T = 1 N/(A.m)
Typical Values of Some Magnetic Fields:
At surface of nucleus

~ 10
12

T
At surface of neutron star (est.)

~ 10
8

T
Near superconducting magnet

5 T
Near small bar magnet

1 T
At surface of Earth

10
-2

T
In sunlight (rms)

3

10
-6

T
In radio waves (rms)

~ 10
-9

T
Produced by human body

3

10
-10

T
In interstellar space

10
-10

T
In magnetically shielded room

10
-14

T
Right-hand rule for fields
The positive charge is
moving straight out of the
page. What is the direction
of the magnetic field at the
position of the dot?
A.

Left
B.

Right
C.

Down
D.

Up
Field line density (= # of field lines/unit area) =
Density of field lines

strength of B-field.
e.g. For +ve

point charge moving at speed v:
point charge
In plane of point charge,
the density of field lines
tends towards infinity
near the charge.
However, the density of
field lines is zero on line
of motion, ahead of and
behind the charge.
(After Ohanian, Physics)
Magnetic Field Lines
B

Magnetic Flux
There are no "magnetic charges" (no
magnetic monopoles) to act as source
or sink of B-field lines.
B-field lines must form closed loops.
Gauss' Law for Magnetic Fields
Magnetic flux through closed surface =0
(Fig 29-4: Fundamentals of Physics, 6
th

Ed., Halliday,
Resnick

and Walker, John Wiley and sons, New York, 2001)
Moving Charges and the Biot-Savart Law
Biot-Savart

Law:
( ) r v
r
q
B

4
2
0
=

The magnetic field of a charged particle q moving with velocity v is

given by the Biot-Savart

law:

0
plays a role in magnetism similar to that of
0
in electricty
Permeability constant:

0
= 4t 10
-7

Tm/A = 1.257

10
-6

Tm/A
B-field for point charge moving with velocity v:
e.g. In a H-atom, if electron orbits proton in circular orbit, what is
magnetic field at the position of proton due to the electron moving at
speed v = 2.2 x 10
6

m/s

?
=12.5 T
( e-

in direction of v equiv. to +ve

charge
in direction -v )
( ) r v
r
q
B

4
2
0
=

2 10
6 19
7
2
0
) 10 53 . 0 (
10 2 . 2 10 6 . 1
10 00 . 1
4

= =
r
ev
B
t

Superposition of B-fields:
For moving charges q
1
, q
2
, q
3
,

the net magnetic field is
found by adding up the fields due to each charge:
1 2 3
B B B B = + + +

The Magnetic Field of a Current

Find the B-field at point P due to a wire
carrying current i=dq/dt:
Biot

Savart:
( ) r v
r
q
B

4
2
0
=

Charge dq

in segment dl produces B-

field:
( ) r v
r
dq
B d

4
2
0
=

Magnitude is:
0
2
sin( )
4
dq
dB v
r

u
t
=

0
2
sin( )
and
4
idl
dq idt dl vdt dB
r

u
t
= = =
2
0

4

r
r l id
B d

=

E.g. Show that B-field at distance R from long straight wire carrying
current i is given by:
0
2
i
dB
R

t
=
0
2
sin( )
4
idz
dB
r

u
t
=
dz
r
i
dB B
} }
+

+

= =
2
0
) sin(
4
u
t

Use:
r
R
= = ) sin( ) sin( u t u
2 2
R z r + =
( )
R
i
dz
R z
iR
B
t

2
1
4
0
2 / 3
2 2
0
=
+
=
}
+

Direction of field given by RH curl rule.
Example:
Show that B-field at centre of arc carrying current i is given by:
R
i
B
|
t

4
0
=
2
0
2
0
4
) 90 sin(
4
R
idl
R
idl
dB
t

=
R
dl
d = |
and
t | 2 =
For full circle:
R
i
B
2

0
circle of centre

=
R
Ni
B
2
0
coil

=
For a coil of N turns:
Exercise:
Magnetic field lines of a circular current loop are like that of

a
bar magnet:
(Fig 30-21: Fundamentals of Physics, 6
th

Ed., Halliday,
Resnick

and Walker, John Wiley and sons, New York, 2001)
Magnetic Dipoles:
What is the current
direction in this loop?
And which side of the
loop is the north pole?
A.

Current counterclockwise, north pole on bottom
B.

Current clockwise; north pole on bottom
C.

Current counterclockwise, north pole on top
D.

Current clockwise; north pole on top
Magnetic Dipole current loop:
The Magnetic Dipole -

(Current Loop):
At large distances, B-field line
distribution of a current loop is
reminiscent of the E-field pattern
of an electric dipole.
For large distance:
( )
3
2 / 3
2 2
z R z R z ~ + >>
3
2
0
2

z
R i
B
t
t

=
Define Magnetic Dipole Moment:
2
R i
B
t =
= i

(area of loop)
(Correct for plane loop of arbitrary shape since arbitrary loop can
be composed from many small circular loops)
The Magnetic Dipole -

(Current Loop):
3
0
2
4
z
B
dipole

=
loop of area = i

Direction of dipole is from

the south to the north pole
(on axis)
Electrons, protons and many other elementary particles have
magnetic dipole moments.
(They behave like tiny "quantum" current loops)
Earth has magnetic dipole moment:
2 24
. 10 3 . 9 m A
e

=
2 22
. 10 0 . 8 m A
Earth
=