Magnetic Fields

Analysis Model: Particle in a Magnetic Field

q In our study of electricity, we described the interactions
between charged objects in terms of electric fields.
Recall that an electric field surrounds any electric charge. In
addition to containing an electric field, the region of space
surrounding any moving electric charge also contains a
magnetic field. A magnetic field also surrounds a magnetic
substance making up a permanent magnet.
 Magnetic Field Lines
q Magnetic filed lines outside the magnet point away
from the north pole and toward the south pole.
 Magnetic Force
q The existence of a magnetic field at some point in
space can be determined by measuring the magnetic
force F exerted on an appropriate test particle placed
at that point.
q If we perform an experiment by placing a particle with
charge q in the magnetic field
 Magnetic Force
q The magnetic field is defined in terms of the force
acting on a moving charged particle

q The magnitude of the magnetic force on a charged

particle is
 Electric Field vs Magnetic Field

q SI unit of magnetic field is tesla (T)

 An Electron Moving in a Magnetic Field
q An electron in an old-style television picture tube
moves toward the front of the tube with a speed of 8.0
x 106 m/s along the x axis (Fig. 29.6). Surrounding
the neck of the tube are coils of wire that create a
magnetic field of magnitude 0.025 T, directed at an
angle of 60° to the x axis and lying in the xy plane.
Calculate the magnetic force on the electron.
An Electron Moving in a Magnetic Field
Representations of Magnetic Field Lines
Perpendicular to the Page
 Motion of a Charged Particle in a Uniform
Magnetic Field
q The magnetic force on the particle is
perpendicular to both the magnetic
field lines and the velocity of the
particle.
q The particle changes the direction of
its velocity in response to the
magnetic force, whereas the magnetic
force remains perpendicular to the
velocity.
q If the force is always perpendicular to
the velocity, the path of the particle is
a circle!
q The particle in uniform circular motion
model!
 Motion of a Charged Particle in a Uniform
Magnetic Field
q Newton 2nd Law:

q The particle moves in a circle, we

also model it as a particle in uniform
circular motion

q The radius of the circular path:

q The angular speed of the particle: Counterclockwise

for a positive charge
Clockwise for
negative charge
 The Path of Charged Particle in a Uniform
Magnetic Field is a Helix
q Because ax = 0 (in moving
direction); vx is constant;
q the magnetic force
causes the components vy and vz to
change in time. And hence the
motion is a helix whose axis is
parallel to the magnetic field
q The projection of the path onto the
yz plane (viewed along x axis) is a
circle.
Motion of a Charged Particle in a Non-
Uniform Magnetic Field
 Magnetic Force Acting on a Current-
Carrying Conductor
q The current is a collection of
many charged particles in
motion; hence, the resultant
force exerted by the field on
the wire is the vector sum of
the individual forces exerted
on all the charged particles
making up the current.
q The force exerted on the
particles is transmitted to the
wire when the particles
collide with the atoms making
up the wire.
 Magnetic Force Acting on a Current-
Carrying Conductor
q The magnetic force exerted on a
charge q moving with a drift velocity is

q The total magnetic force on the

segment of wire of length L is

• L: wire length
• A: cross-sectional area
• n: number of mobile charge carriers
 Magnetic Force Acting on a Current-
Carrying Conductor
q For an arbitrarily shaped wire segment
of uniform cross section in a magnetic
field. The force exerted on a small
segment of vector length ds is

q The total force acting on wire is the

integral over the length of the wire:

a and b represent the endpoints of the

wire.
 Force on a Semicircular Conductor
qA wire bent into a semicircle of radius R forms a
closed circuit and carries a current I. The wire lies in
the xy plane, and a uniform magnetic field is directed
along the positive y axis as in Figure. Find the
magnitude and direction of the magnetic force acting
on the straight portion of the wire and on the curved
portion.
 Force on a Semicircular Conductor
Using the right-hand rule for cross products, we see that the
force F1 on the straight portion of the wire is out of the page
and the force F2 on the curved portion is into the page. Is F2
larger in magnitude than F1 because the length of the curved
portion is longer than that of the straight portion?
 Torque on a Current Loop in a Uniform
Magnetic Field
q Consider a rectangular loop carrying a current I in the
presence of a uniform magnetic field directed parallel to the
plane of the loop as shown in Figure.
q No magnetic forces act on
sides (1) and (3) because
these wires are parallel to
the field

q Magnetic forces act on

sides (2) and (4) because
these sides are oriented
perpendicular to the field.
 Torque on a Current Loop in a Uniform
Magnetic Field
q If the loop is pivoted so that it can rotate about point O, a
torque that rotates clockwise. The magnitude of this torque

where the moment arm about O is b/2 for each force.

q The maximum torque can be written as

Area enclosed by the loop is A = ab

This maximum-torque result is valid only

when the magnetic field is parallel to the
plane of the loop.
 Torque on a Current Loop in a Uniform
Magnetic Field
q Supposing the uniform magnetic field makes angle θ < 90°
q Assuming B is perpendicular to sides (2) and (4)
q Magnetic forces F1 and F3 exerted on sides (1) and (3)
cancel out.
q Magnetic forces F2 and F4 exerted on sides (2) and (4)
produce a torque about any point.
F2 = (b/2)sinθ F4 = (b/2)sinθ F2 = F4 = IaB
 Vector Form of Torque
q Torque exerted on a loop placed
in uniform magnetic field B is

q IA is defined to be magnetic
dipole moment μ (or simply
“magnetic moment”), and is

q If a coil of wire contain N loops of the same area, the

magnetic moment of the coil is

q The torque exerted on a current-carrying loop in a magnetic

field B as
q c.f. the torque exerted on an electric dipole
 Potential Energy of a Magnetic Dipole in
Magnetic Field
q Recall the potential energy of an electric dipole in electric
field is
(this energy depends on the orientation of the dipole in the electric field)
q Similarly, the potential energy of a system of a magnetic
dipole in a magnetic field depends on the orientation of the
dipole in the magnetic field
 Potential Energy of a Magnetic Dipole in
Magnetic Field
q The potential energy of a system of a magnetic dipole in a
magnetic field is

q The potential energy has its lowest

energy Umin = -μB when μ points in
the same direction as B
q The potential energy has its
highest energy Umin = +μB when μ
points in the same direction as B
 The Magnetic Dipole Moment in a Coil
q A rectangular coil of dimensions 5.40 x 8.50 cm consists of
25 turns of wire and carries a current of 15.0 mA. A 0.350-T
magnetic field is applied parallel to the plane of the coil.
(A) Calculate the magnitude of the magnetic dipole moment of
the coil
(B) What is the magnitude of the torque acting on the loop?
 The Magnetic Dipole Moment in a Coil
q A rectangular coil of dimensions 5.40 x 8.50 cm consists of
25 turns of wire and carries a current of 15.0 mA. A 0.350-T
magnetic field is applied parallel to the plane of the coil.
(A) Calculate the magnitude of the magnetic dipole moment of
the coil
(B) What is the magnitude of the torque acting on the loop?
 Currents Create Magnetic Fields
q 1820: Oersted did an experiment à a magnetic compass is
deflected by current à magnetic field are due to currents

Why do the un-magnetized

filings line up with the field?

In fact, currents are the only way to create magnetic fields.

 The Biot-Savart Law
q The Biot–Savart law describes the magnetic field generated
by a constant electric current
q The Biot–Savart law is fundamental to magnetostatics,
playing a role similar to that of Coulomb’s
law in electrostatics
q The magnetic field produced by the
current in the wire

μ0 is a constant called the permeability of

free space
 The Biot-Savart Law
q The total magnetic field B is a sum up contributions from all
current elements Ids that make up the current is an integral

Special care for the integrand of cross product

q The integral is taken over the entire current distribution.
q The magnitude of the magnetic field is inversely proportional
to the square of the distance r (similar to electric field).

q Direction of electric field is

radial
q Direction of magnetic field
is perpendicular to length
ds and unit vector r-hat
 Direction of Currents/Magnetic Fields
For a straight wire the magnetic field lines are circles
wrapped around it. Another Right Hand Rule shows the
direction:
µ 0 ids sin(q)
dB =
4p r2
Magnetic Field Surrounding a Thin, Straight Conductor
q Consider a thin, straight wire of finite length carrying a
constant current I and placed along the x axis as shown in
Figure 30.3. Determine the magnitude and direction of the
magnetic field at point P due to this current.
Magnetic Field Surrounding a Thin, Straight Conductor
q Consider a thin, straight wire of finite length carrying a
constant current I and placed along the x axis as shown in
Figure 30.3. Determine the magnitude and direction of the
magnetic field at point P due to this current.
Magnetic Field Surrounding a Thin, Straight Conductor

q If the wire becomes infinitely long, we see that θ1 = π/2 and

θ2 = -π/2 and hence (sinθ1 – sinθ2) = [sin π/2 – sin(-π/2)] = 2
 Magnetic Field due to a Curved Wire Segment
q Calculate the magnetic field at point O for the current-
carrying wire segment shown in Figure 30.4. The wire
consists of two straight portions and a circular arc of radius a,
which subtends an angle θ.
 Magnetic Field due to a Curved Wire Segment
q Calculate the magnetic field at point O for the current-
carrying wire segment shown in Figure 30.4. The wire
consists of two straight portions and a circular arc of radius a,
which subtends an angle θ.
 Magnetic Field on the Axis of a Circular Current Loop
q Consider a circular wire loop of radius a located in the yz
plane and carrying a steady current I as in Figure 30.5.
Calculate the magnetic field at an axial point P a distance x
from the center of the loop.
 Magnetic Field on the Axis of a Circular Current Loop
q Consider a circular wire loop of radius a located in the yz
plane and carrying a steady current I as in Figure 30.5.
Calculate the magnetic field at an axial point P a distance x
from the center of the loop.
 Magnetic Field on the Axis of a Circular Current Loop
q What if we consider points on
the x axis very far from the
loop? How does the magnetic
field behave at these distant
points?

q x >> a, we can neglect the

term a2 in the denominator
 The magnetic Force Between to Parallel Conductors
q The magnetic force on a length l of wire 1

q l is perpendicular to B2, the magnitude of

F1 is

q The direction of F1 is toward to wire 2 because l x B is in

that direction.
The magnitude of force
per unit length
 Ampère’s Law
q When the magnitude of the force per unit length between two
long, parallel wires that carry identical currents and are
separated by 1 m is 2 x 1027 N/m, the current in each wire is
defined to be 1 A.
• Line Integral over an “Amperian
! ! ienc= net current

ò B " ds = µ 0ienc
loop” - a closed path.
• Adds up components of B passing through the
along the loop path. loop
• All paths that enclose a certain
set of currents have same result.

Picture for applications:

• Only the tangential component of B
along ds contributes to the dot product
• Current outside the loop (i3) creates field
but contributions to the path integral
cancel around closed path.
Another version of RH rule:
- curl fingers along Amperian loop
- thumb shows + direction for net current
 Magnetic Field Created by a Long Current-
Carrying Wire
A long, straight wire of radius R carries a steady current I that is
uniformly distributed through the cross section of the wire (Fig.
30.13). Calculate the magnetic field a distance r from the center
of the wire in the regions r < R and r > R.
 Magnetic Field Created by a Long Current-
Carrying Wire
A long, straight wire of radius R carries a steady current I that is
uniformly distributed through the cross section of the wire (Fig.
30.13). Calculate the magnetic field a distance r from the center
of the wire in the regions r < R and r > R.
 Magnetic Field Created by a Long Current-
Carrying Wire
A long, straight wire of radius R carries a steady current I that is
uniformly distributed through the cross section of the wire (Fig.
30.13). Calculate the magnetic field a distance r from the center
of the wire in the regions r < R and r > R.
(The current I’ passing through
the plane of circle 2 is less than
the total current I)
Magnetic Field Created by a Long Current-
Carrying Wire
 Magnetic Field Created by a Toroid
q A device called a toroid (Fig. 30.15) is often used to create
an almost uniform magnetic field in some enclosed area. The
device consists of a conducting wire wrapped around a ring
(a torus) made of a non-conducting material. For a toroid
having N closely spaced turns of wire, calculate the magnetic
field in the region occupied by the torus, a distance r from the
center.
 Magnetic Field Created by a Toroid
q A device called a toroid (Fig. 30.15) is often used to create
an almost uniform magnetic field in some enclosed area. The
device consists of a conducting wire wrapped around a ring
(a torus) made of a non-conducting material. For a toroid
having N closely spaced turns of wire, calculate the magnetic
field in the region occupied by the torus, a distance r from the
center.

q Ampère’s Law for loop 1:

 Magnetic Field of a Solenoid
q A solenoid is a long wire wound in the form of a helix à to
create a reasonably uniform magnetic field in the space
surrounded by turns of wire
 Magnetic Field of a Solenoid
q B in the interior space is uniform and parallel
to the axis and the magnetic field lines in the
exterior space form circles around the
solenoid.
q Apply Ampère’s law to the dash rectangular
path (loop 2) of length l and width w to
evaluate the integral B·ds over each side of
the rectangle. Contributions from side 2 and
side 4 are zero

N is number of turns in the length l

N I is total current through rectangle
 Magnetic Flux
q The total magnetic flux !B through the surface of area A is

q The total magnetic flux !B is then

q θ = 90° (B is perpendicular to A), !B is

zero
q θ = 0° (B is parallel to A), !B is
maximum
 Magnetic Flux through a Rectangular Loop
q A rectangular loop of width a and length b is located near a
long wire carrying a current I (Fig. 30.21). The distance
between the wire and the closest side of the loop is c. The
wire is parallel to the long side of the loop. Find the total
magnetic flux through the loop due to the current in the wire.
 Magnetic Flux through a Rectangular Loop
q A rectangular loop of width a and length b is located near a
long wire carrying a current I (Fig. 30.21). The distance
between the wire and the closest side of the loop is c. The
wire is parallel to the long side of the loop. Find the total
magnetic flux through the loop due to the current in the wire.
 Gauss’s Law in Magnetism
q The net magnetic flux through any closed surface is always
zero:
 Gauss’s Law in Magnetism
q The net magnetic flux through any closed surface is always
zero:
 Faraday’s Law of Induction
q When a magnet is moved toward the loop, the reading on the
ammeter changes from zero to a nonzero value, arbitrarily shown as
negative in Figure 31.1a. When the magnet is brought to rest and
held stationary relative to the loop (Fig. 31.1b), a reading of zero is
observed. When the magnet is moved away from the loop, the
reading on the ammeter changes to a positive value as shown in
Figure 31.1c. Finally, when the magnet is held stationary and the loop

q The current is induced

current and it is said
that it is produced by
an induced
electromagnetic force
(emf)
 Faraday’s Law of Induction
q The emf is directly proportional to
the time rate of the change of the
magnetic flux through the loop.
q Faraday’s law of induction:

q If a coil consists of N loops:

q For a loop enclosing an area A lies

in uniform magnetic field B
 Inducing an emf in a Coil
q A coil consists of 200 turns of wire. Each turn is a square of
side d = 18 cm, and a uniform magnetic field directed
perpendicular to the plane of the coil is turned on. If the field
changes linearly from 0 to 0.50 T in 0.80 s, what is the
magnitude of the induced emf in the coil while the field is
changing?
 Inducing an emf in a Coil
q A coil consists of 200 turns of wire. Each turn is a square of
side d = 18 cm, and a uniform magnetic field directed
perpendicular to the plane of the coil is turned on. If the field
changes linearly from 0 to 0.50 T in 0.80 s, what is the
magnitude of the induced emf in the coil while the field is
changing?
 Lenz’s Law
q Lenz’s Law:
The induced current in a loop is in the direction that creates a
magnetic field that opposes the change in magnetic flux
through the area enclosed by the loop.

i.e., the induced current tends to keep the original magnetic flux
through the loop from changing.