Chapter 5

Magnetostatic Fields

Charges moving with constant velocity produce static magnetic (magnetostatic)

field. This movement of charges (or current flow) may be due to magnetization
currents as in permanent magnets, electron beam currents as in vacuum tubes
or conduction currents as in current carrying wires.

(Applications: motors, transformers, microphones, compasses, telephone bells,

television focusing controls, advertising displays, magnetically levitated high-
speed vehicles, memory stores, magnetic separators, etc. )

Two laws govern magnetostatic fields:

1. Biot-Savart law (cf. Coulomb’s law)
2. Ampere’s law (cf. Gausse’s law)

5.1 Biot-Savart Law

States that the magnetic field intensity dH at r due to current element Idl at
r0 is
Idl × aR Idl × R
dH = 2
= (5.1)
4πR 4πR3
where R = r − r0 , R = |R|

The direction of dH can be determined using the right-hand rule, viz. the thumb
pointing in the direction of I and the right hand fingers encircling the wire in
the direction of dH.

1
 Class Notes on ECEG-2110
5.1. BIOT-SAVART LAW Electromagnetic Fields

For surface or volume current distributions, replace the current element Idl with
KdS or Jdv where K is the surface current density (A/m) and J is the volume
current density (A/m2 ).

Idl × aR
Z
H = line current (5.2)
4πR2
ZL
KdS × aR
H = surface current (5.3)
S 4πR2
Jdv × aR
Z
H = volume current (5.4)
v 4πR2

Example 5.1: Determine the field due to a straight current carrying filamentary con-
ductor of length AB. Derive the field for semi-infinite and infinite lengths.

Example 5.2: Find the magnetic field intensity at the center O of the conducting
square loop of side 4 m carrying a dc current of 5 A shown below.

Exercise 5.1: For the above loop, determine H at (2, 0, 0). (ans. 0.46ax A/m)

Exercise 5.2: For the circular loop shown below, show that

Iρ2
H(0, 0, h) = az
2(ρ2 + h2 )

Dep. of Electrical & Computer Engineering 2 of 5

AAiT, Addis Ababa University.
April 2011.
 Class Notes on ECEG-2110
5.2. AMPERE’S CIRCUITAL LAW Electromagnetic Fields

5.2 Ampere’s Circuital Law

States that the circulation of H around a closed path is equal to the current
enclosed by the path, i.e.,
I
H · dl = Ienc (5.5)
L

Applying Stokes’s theorem,

I Z
Ienc = H · dl = (∇ × H) · dS
L S

but Z
Ienc = J · dS
S
therefore,
∇×H=J 3rd Maxwell’s equation (5.6)
Ampere’s law can be easily applied on symmetrical current distributions.

Example 5.3: Determine H for

1. Infinite line current
2. Infinite sheet of current
3. Infinitely long coaxial transmission line with inner conductor of radius a carrying
current I and outer conductor of radius b, thickness t, carrying return current
−I.

Dep. of Electrical & Computer Engineering 3 of 5

AAiT, Addis Ababa University.
April 2011.
 Class Notes on ECEG-2110
5.3. MAGNETIC FLUX DENSITY B Electromagnetic Fields

5.3 Magnetic Flux Density B

B is related to H according to

B = µo H (5.7)

where µo = 4π × 10−7 H/m is the permeability of free space.

The magnetic flux through a surface S is given by

Z
Ψ= B · dS (5.8)
S

The unit of Ψ is Weber (wb); while that of B is wb/m2 .

Flux lines of B (or H) are always continuous and form a closed loop, which
implies that there are no magnetic monopoles, or isolated ‘magnetic charges’.
All magnets have both a north and a south pole, and the field B is continuous
through the magnet. Thus the total flux through a closed surface in a magnetic
field is zero, i.e.,
I
B · dS = 0 (5.9)
S

Applying the divergence theorem

I Z
B · dS = ∇ · Bdv = 0,
S v

we have,
∇·B=0 fourth Maxwell’s equation (5.10)

5.4 Magnetic Vector Potential A

For any vector field A, ∇ · (∇ × A) = 0. Since for magnetic fields ∇ · B = 0, B
can be expressed as,
B=∇×A (5.11)

Dep. of Electrical & Computer Engineering 4 of 5

AAiT, Addis Ababa University.
April 2011.
 Class Notes on ECEG-2110
5.4. MAGNETIC VECTOR POTENTIAL A Electromagnetic Fields

for some vector field A. A (wb/m) is called the vector magnetic potential of B.
dQ
R
In parallel with the electric potential (V = 4πεo R ), we can define
Z
µo I dl
A = line-current (5.12)
4πR
ZL
µo K dS
= surface-current (5.13)
4πR
ZL
µo J dv
= volume-current (5.14)
L 4πR

The magnetic flux can be expressed through the vector potential A, viz.,
Z Z I
Ψ= B · dS = (∇ × A) · dS = A · dS
S S L

so that,
I
Ψ= A · dl (5.15)
L

Example 5.4: Given the magnetic vector potential A = − 14 ρ2 az wb/m, calculate the
total flux crossing the surface φ = π/2, 1 ≤ ρ ≤ 2 m, 0 ≤ z ≤ 5 m.

Exercise 5.3: A current distribution gives rise to the vector magnetic potential

A = x2 y ax + xy 2 ay − 4xyz az wb/m.

Calculate
1. B at (−1, 2, 5)
2. the flux through the surface defined by z = 1, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1, −1 ≤ y ≤ 4.

Summary of Maxwell’s Equation for Static EM Fields

Differential Form Integral Form Remarks

I Z
∇ · D = ρv D · dS = ρv dv Gauss’s law
S v
I
∇·B=0 B · dS = 0 Nonexistence of magnetic monopoles
S
I
∇×E=0 E · dl = 0 Conservative field
L
I Z
∇×H=J H · dl = J · dS Ampere’s law.
L S

Dep. of Electrical & Computer Engineering 5 of 5

AAiT, Addis Ababa University.
April 2011.