Electrostatics and Magnetostatics

Fields, Oscillations and Waves - Lent Term 2006

Electrostatics Magnetostatics
Coulomb’s law: Magnetic force on a particle:
Qq
F= r̂
4π0 r2 F = q(v ∧ B)
Electric field:
F Force on a current:
E = lim
q→0 q
Q
E = r̂ F = I(dl ∧ B)
4π0 r2

Principle of superposition:
X Gauss’ Law:
E= Ei I
i
B · dA = 0
S
Electrostatic potential:
dU = −F · dl (as only magnetic dipoles exist, to-
= −qE · dl tal pole ‘strength’ enclosed in any
volume is 0).
Potential difference: Ampre’s Law:
dU
dV = = −E · dl
q I
Z B B · dl = µ0 l
dV = VB − VA = − E · dl C
A

Potential at a point: Magnetic flux:

Z r
V (r) = − E · dl Z
∞ φm = B · dA
S
(as the potential at ∞ is defined as
0).
Another definition of the electric Faraday’s (and Lenz’s) Law:
field: I

∂V ∂V ∂V
 dφm
E = , , e.m.f. = E · dl = −
∂x ∂y ∂z C dt
= −∇V
Self-inductance
Gauss’ Law:
I
Q
E · dA = φmthreaded = LI
S 0

Capacitance:
Q Force on particle in E-
C=
V and B- field
Energy density:
1
UE = 0 E 2
2 F = q(E + v ∧ B)