Ampere’s Law

Alan Murray
 Try this …
Create a contour for integration (a circle seems to make sense here!)
I 
B a from the Biot-Savart law (a is tangential to circle)
2 R
  I 
Calculate  B.dl    
 a.dl note : B and dl are parallel
  2 R 

 B.dl   Bdl  B  dl , ( B = constant)

 I   I 
dl
 B.dl     dl     2 R  I
 2 R   2 R 
B B
 B.dl  I
I
 B.dl  I dl
B
dl
 H.dl  I B
Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh
 H.dl = Current Ienclosed
 This is, as it turns out, Ampere’s Law
and is the magnetic-field equivalent
of Gauss’s law
 If we define H=B÷μ, B=μH, then
H.dl = Current “enclosed” = J.ds
I4 Take a closed contour
I5
I1

I3 These currents are “enclosed”

I2 And these currents are not!

I6 Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh

 H.dl = Current Ienclosed
I4

I1

I3

I2

Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh

 Ampere’s Law – Worked Example
 Calculate the magnetic field H both
Outside (r>R)
and
Inside (r<R)
A wire with uniformly-distributed current I,
current density
I
J |J| = I/A
2 R 2 B?

B? R
I

Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh

 Outside … r>R, H.dl = Ienclosed
 H.dl  Ienclosed
 H.dl   Hdl (H and dl parallel again)
 H.dl  H  dl ( H constant again) I
H
 H.dl  H  2 r B 2 r
r H, B I, |J|=I/R2

Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh

 Inside … r<R, H.dl = Ienclosed
r 2 r2
 H.dl  Ienclosed  I  2
 I  2 (ratio of areas)
R R
 H.dl   Hdl (H and dl parallel again)
 H.dl  H  dl ( H constant again)
 H.dl  H  2 r
r2 r
H  2 r  I  2 , H  I 
R 2 R 2 I, |J|=I/R2
 =I r2
B? r R
R2

Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh

Inside … r<R, H.dl = Ienclosed
r

I
H I
2 r

r
H
2 R 2

B,H
Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh
Ampere – Worked example

B-field here?

i.e. what is the magnetic field

above and close to a metal “track”
on a printed circuit board or chip?
I

Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh

What does the B-field look like?

B-field lines

Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh

 H.dl = Ienclosed?

Width L

Contour for integration

b

Current enclosed = aI/L

I/L Amps/metre of width, out of the diagram

Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh

 H.dl = Ienclosed?
H.dl = aH
(H, dl parallel)
H

H.dl = 0
(H, dl perpendicular) a H.dl = 0
b b (H, dl perpendicular)

H
H.dl = aH
(H, dl parallel)
Current enclosed = aI/L
H.dl = aH + aH = 2aH
H.dl = Ienclosed  2aH = aI/L
|H| = _I_
2L
Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh
H.dl = Ienclosed?

|H | = - I _
2L

|H| = +I_
2L

Alan Murray – University of Edinburgh