Electricity & Magnetism – Lecture 9

Magnetism
Electric Field & Magnetic Field
• Electric forces acting at a distance through electric
field.
• Vector field, E.
• Source: electric charge.
• Positive charge (+) and negative charge (-).
• Opposite charges attract, like charges repel.
• Electric field lines visualizing the direction and
magnitude of E.
• Magnetic forces acting at a distance through
Magnetic field.
• Vector field, B
• Source: moving electric charge (current or magnetic
substance, such as permanent magnet).
• North pole (N) and south pole (S)
• Opposite poles attract, like poles repel.
• Magnetic field lines visualizing the direction and
magnitude of B.
Electric Field & Magnetic Field
• Test charge and electric field Test monopole and magnetic
→
field ?
→ FB
→
B=
→ FE p
E=
q Magnetic poles are always found in pairs. A
single magnetic pole has never been isolated.
Define B at some point in space in terms of the magnetic
force FB that the field exerts on a charged particle
moving with a velocity v :
The magnitude FB is proportional to the charge q and to
the speed v of the particle.
FB = 0 when the charged particle moves parallel to the
magnetic field vector.
When velocity vector makes any angle θ≠0 with the
magnetic field, FB is perpendicular to both B and v.

FB on a positive charge is opposite on a negative charge.

The magnitude FB is proportional to sinθ.
Magnetic Fields
→ → →
• Magnetic force FB = q v × B

• Right-hand rule determine the direction of magnetic force. So the magnetic force is always
perpendicular to v and B.
• The magnitude of the magnetic force is FB = q vB sin θ

→ → → → →
FE = q E FB = q v× B
 The electric force is along the direction of the electric field, the magnetic force is
perpendicular to the magnetic field.
 The electric force acts on a charged particle regardless of whether the particle is moving,
the magnetic force acts on a charged particle only when the particle is in motion.
 The electric force does work in displacing a charged particle, the magnetic force does no
work when a particle is displaced.
Magnetic Fields
SI unit of magnetic field: tesla (T)

 1T = 1 N/[Cm/s] = 1 N/[Am] = 104 gauss

Magnetic field lines with similar rules:

 The direction of the tangent to a magnetic field line at any point gives the direction of
B at that point;
 The spacing of the lines represents the magnitude of B – the magnetic field is
stronger where the lines are closer together, and conversely.

Charged particle in both electric field and magnetic field

→ → → →
F = q E + q v× B
Motion of Charged Particles in a uniform Magnetic Field

when a charged particle moves perpendicular to a

uniform B-field. If the field is in a vacuum, the magnetic
field is the dominant factor determining the motion. Since
r the magnetic force is perpendicular to the direction of
travel, a charged particle follows a curved path in a
magnetic field. The particle continues to follow this
curved path until it forms a complete circle. Another way
to look at this is that the magnetic force is always
perpendicular to velocity, so that it does no work on the
charged particle. The particle’s kinetic energy and speed
thus remain constant. The direction of motion is affected
The magnetic force is
perpendicular to the velocity, so but not the speed.
velocity changes in direction but
not magnitude. The result is
uniform circular motion.
Motion of Charged Particles in a uniform Magnetic Field
Charged particle moves in a circle in a plane perpendicular to
the magnetic field.

r Then, we have 2
mv
 F = F B = ma F B = qvB =
r

mv
The radius of the circular path: r=
qB

v qB
The angular speed: ω= =
r m

2π r 2π 2π m
The period of the motion: T =
v
=
ω
=
qB

If the velocity is not perpendicular to the magnetic field, then we can compare each component of the velocity
separately with the magnetic field.
Motion of Charged Particles in Magnetic Field
Circle Paths: v is perpendicular to B (uniform);
Helical Paths: v has a component parallel to B.
v|| = v cos φ
v⊥ = v sin φ

Motion in a nonuniform magnetic field: strong at

the ends and weak in the middle;
 Magnetic bottle
 Aurora
Magnetic Force on a Current-Carrying Wire
Free electrons (negative charges) move with drift
velocity vd opposite to the current.

All the electron in this section of wire will drift past

in a time


t=




Thus in that time a charge q=it= i




   sin   sin 

  
→ → →
If B is not perpendicular to wire F B = i L× B
Torque on a Current Loop
Consider a rectangular loop carrying a current i in the presence
of a uniform magnetic field in the plane of the loop

The force on the sides of length b are zero since

these wires are parallel to the field


     =  = 0


 =  = iaB ,   90°

The direction of F2 is out of the The two forces produces a

page; the direction of F4 is into torque about O that rotates
the page. the loop clockwise
Torque on a Current Loop
! !
=  + 
 

! !
= " + "  "#
 

 $ A = Area of the loop

n If the loop has its normal which is not

perpendicular to B, but oriented to some angle θ
with respect to B. The vector n is perpendicular
to the plane of the loop
Torque on a Current Loop
Only the forces F2 and F4 contribute to the torque about the axis
of rotation O. The other two forces on the loop would not produce
a rotation as these forces would be equal in magnitude and
opposite in direction and would also pass through the axis of
rotation O, making the torque arm 0 m.

The forces F2 and F4 form a couple and produce a torque about any point.
Force has two components: parallel to the axis of the loop and perpendicular to the axis of the loop.
Torque on a Current Loop
The parallel component of the force Fp will not produce
a rotation because it passes through the pivot point.

The perpendicular component of the force F⊥ will

produce the torque that will cause the loop to rotate.
 A. &A

For each perpendicular force: Net torque

!
! = 2  sin
&A = 

=  sin #
A =  sin
= i abBsin  = iaB
!
=  sin = i ABsin


If loop consists N turns = N i ABsin

The Magnetic Dipole Moment
→ →
• Magnetic dipole moment µ = i A
r θ

B
• SI unit: Am2, Nm/T = J/T
→ →
• A coil of wire has N loops of the same area: µ coil = Ni A
• Torque = i ABsin → → →
τ = µ× B

→ →
• Magnetic potential U = − µ⋅ B

r
• Electric dipole and magnetic dipole B
Electric Dipole Magnetic Dipole
Moment p = qd µ = NiA
→ → → → → → Magnetic dipole has its lowest energy when its
Torque τ = p× E τ = µ× B
→ → → →
dipole moment is lined up with the magnetic field
Potential Energy U = − p⋅ E U = − µ⋅ B