Chapter 9

Sources of Magnetic Fields

9.1 Biot-Savart Law.................................................................................................... 9-3
Interactive Simulation 9.1: Magnetic Field of a Current Element....................... 9-4
Example 9.1: Magnetic Field due to a Finite Straight Wire ................................... 9-4
Example 9.2: Magnetic Field due to a Circular Current Loop ............................... 9-7
9.1.1 Magnetic Field of a Moving Point Charge .................................................. 9-10
Animation 9.1: Magnetic Field of a Moving Charge .......................................... 9-11
Animation 9.2: Magnetic Field of Several Charges Moving in a Circle............. 9-12
Interactive Simulation 9.2: Magnetic Field of a Ring of Moving Charges ....... 9-12
9.2 Force Between Two Parallel Wires .................................................................... 9-13
Animation 9.3: Forces Between Current-Carrying Parallel Wires...................... 9-14
9.3 Ampere’s Law..................................................................................................... 9-14
Example 9.3: Field Inside and Outside a Current-Carrying Wire......................... 9-17
Example 9.4: Magnetic Field Due to an Infinite Current Sheet ........................... 9-18
9.4 Solenoid .............................................................................................................. 9-20
Examaple 9.5: Toroid............................................................................................ 9-23
9.5 Magnetic Field of a Dipole ................................................................................. 9-24
9.5.1 Earth’s Magnetic Field at MIT .................................................................... 9-25
Animation 9.4: A Bar Magnet in the Earth’s Magnetic Field ............................. 9-27
9.6 Magnetic Materials ............................................................................................. 9-28
9.6.1 Magnetization .............................................................................................. 9-28
9.6.2 Paramagnetism............................................................................................. 9-31
9.6.3 Diamagnetism .............................................................................................. 9-32
9.6.4 Ferromagnetism ........................................................................................... 9-32
9.7 Summary............................................................................................................. 9-33
9.8 Appendix 1: Magnetic Field off the Symmetry Axis of a Current Loop............ 9-35
9.9 Appendix 2: Helmholtz Coils ............................................................................. 9-39
Animation 9.5: Magnetic Field of the Helmholtz Coils ...................................... 9-41
Animation 9.6: Magnetic Field of Two Coils Carrying Opposite Currents ........ 9-43
Animation 9.7: Forces Between Coaxial Current-Carrying Wires...................... 9-44
9-1Sources of Magnetic Fields
9.1 Biot-Savart Law
Currents which arise due to the motion of charges are the source of magnetic fields.
When charges move in a conducting wire and produce a current I, the magnetic field at
any point P due to the current can be calculated by adding up the magnetic field
contributions, , from small segments of the wiredB
Gds
G , (Figure 9.1.1).