Electricity and Magnetism

Lecture 9
 Introduction
We have discussed how an existing
magnetic field exert forces on a single
charge and also on a current-carrying
conductor;
F = q v B sin
F  ILB sin 
We will now see that currents (moving
charges) produce magnetic fields
This can be thought of as the basic
mechanism by which all magnetic fields are
produced
 Lecture 9
Magnetic Field produced by a long,
straight, Current-Carrying Wire

Biot-Savart Law

Ampere’s Law

Origin of Magnetism and Magnetic

Properties of Materials
 The Magnetic Field produced by a long,
straight, Current-Carrying Wire

The magnetic field lines produced by the current are

circles centered on the wire; the direction of the
magnetic field can be obtained by using the Right-
Hand Rule as shown.
 The R-H rule: If you point your thumb
in the direction of the current in a wire,
your fingers will curl around that wire
in the direction of the magnetic field.
By symmetry, the magnitude of the
magnetic field B is the same everywhere
on a circular path centered on the wire
and lying in a plane perpendicular to the
wire

By varying the current and the distance

from the wire, it can be experimentally
determined that B is proportional to the
current and inversely proportional to
the distance from the wire
The mathematical expression for the magnetic
field B is given by o I
B
2r
Unit: Tesla (T). B is also known as the magnetic
field intensity or the magnetic flux density
The proportionality constant µ0 is called the
permeability of free space (or the magnetic
permeability constant); it has the value
7
o  4x10 T .m / A
(or H/m)
The expression allows us to calculate the magnetic
field strength at various points r away from the wire
The Magnetic Field produced by a Current-
Carrying Conductor: Biot-Savart Law
The Biot-Savart Law is an equation that
describes the magnetic field created by a
current-carrying wire
Biot-Savart law tells us that the magnetic
field, dB, created by a segment ds of the wire
at a point, a distance r from ds is:
• in a direction perpendicular to both ds and to
the position vector r from the segment of the
conductor to the point at which the field is
being measured, as shown in figure;
• directly proportional to the length ds of the
segment and to the current I it carries;
• inversely proportional in magnitude to the
square of the distance r between the current
element and the point where the field is being
measured
• proportional to the sine of the angle θ
between the vectors ds and r (unit vector)
• Mathematically, this law can be written as
 o Idsxr o o
dB  2
 2
Idsr sin   2
Ids
4r 4r 4r
where r is a unit vector in the direction of r
The Biot-Savart law gives the magnetic field
contribution, dB of the current source, Ids at the
point P.

The equation gives the magnetic

field generated by a short segment
of a wire. The magnetic field
generated by a wire of any length
and shape can be calculated by
integrating along the wire.
 Explanation of Terms
• dB is the magnetic field produced
by a small section of wire
• ds is the length of the small section
of wire in the direction of the
current; it is a vector dB
• r is the position vector from the
section of wire to where the
magnetic field is measured r
• I is the current in the wire 
  is angle between ds and r

ds
 Magnetic Field from  o ds
Biot-Savart Law dB  I 2
4 r
•We can use the Biot-Savart law
to calculate the magnetic field
due to any current-carrying wire
dB1 dB2
dBi
• B = dB1+dB2+…+dBi
• i.e. B =dB ri
r1 r2 dsi
o dsi
B I 2
4 ri
ds2
ds1
It can also be written as,
  o  Ids
B   dB    2
 4  r
or  0 I ds sin 
B
4  r 2

 0 I dl sin 
B
4  r 2

B is also referred to as the magnetic flux density; it is

also the magnetic field strength. Therefore, Biot-
Savart law is used in calculating the magnetic flux
density B, or the magnetic field strength B, or simply the
magnetic field B.
Exercise: Biot-Savart law can be used to
determine the magnitude of the magnetic flux
density B at the centre of a narrow circular coil of
N turns and radius r due to the current I through
the coil using the formula
 0 I dl sin 
B
4  r 2

If the current in the coil is 1.5 A, calculate B if r

=5.0 cm and N = 50. (Length of wire in the coil Ɩ =
2πrN)
A. 0.64 mT
B. 0.76 mT
C. 0.88 mT
D. 0.94 mT
   0 I  Idl sin 90
B   dB  
 4r 
2 
r2

 0 I   0 I 
2 
 Idl   2 
.2rN
 4r   4r 

Thus
 0 NI
B
2r
Direction of the field around a long wire -
Another Right-Hand Rule
 Ampere’s Law
Another useful law for calculating the magnetic
field B is Ampere’s Law; it states that if a
continuous closed line or loop is drawn around
one or more current-carrying conductors, and
B is the magnetic field in the direction of an
element dl of the loop, then for free space,

 B.dl  o I or  B.dl   I
o

where
loop”
 denotes “integration around a closed
 Ampere’ Law (contd)
Unlike the integration of the Biot-Savart law, the
path of integration for Ampere’s law does not
follow the current. The path may or may not
follow a magnetic field line. Here, symmetry is
exploited and a path is chosen such that
(a)The component of B parallel to dl is constant
(b)B.dl=0 means B=0; recall that B.dl = Bdlcosθ
(c)B.dl=0 means B is perpendicular to the path,
or
(d)a combination of these three options is
present
For the calculation of magnetic fields,
Ampere’s law plays a role similar to that of
Gauss’s law for the calculation of electric
currents. Provided that the distribution of
currents has sufficient symmetry, Ampere’s
law completely determines the magnetic
field.

Example: Deduce the magnetic field of a

current on a very long thin straight wire by
means of Ampere’s law.
Solution:
•By consideration of symmetry, the magnetic field
lines have the form of concentric circles
•Also, by symmetry, the magnitude of the magnetic
field is constant along each circle.
• Taking a path that follows one of these circles,
of radius r, we see that
 B.dl   Brd  2rB
The Ampere’s law then gives 2rB   o I
or
 B.dl   I
o

Hence, B   o I
2r
In Ampere’s law, I is sometimes designated
I enc meaning the current enclosed by the loop
Example: Use of Ampere’s law: The Magnetic
Field of a Long Wire; Calculate the magnetic
field of a long, straight wire and the force the
field exerts on a particle
Problem: A long, straight wire carries a current
of 5.00 A. At one instant, a proton, 4.00 mm
from the wire, travels at a speed of 1 . 50 x10 3
m/s
parallel to the wire and in the same direction as
the current. (a) Find the magnitude and direction
of the magnetic field created by the wire; (b)
Find the magnitude and direction of the
magnetic force the wire’s magnetic field exerts
on the proton
Solution
(a)Find the magnitude and direction of the wire’s
magnetic field; use the equation to calculate the
magnitude of the magnetic field 4.00 mm from
the wire: 7
 o I (4x10 T .m / A)(5.00 A) 4
B  3
 2. 50 x10 T
2r 2 (4.00 x10 m)
Apply the right-hand rule to find the direction of
the magnetic field B
(b) Compute the magnetic force exerted by the
wire on the proton; use equation:
F  qvB sin   (1.60 x1019 C )(1.50 x103 m / s) x(2.50 x104 T )(sin 90)
20
=6 . 00 x10 N
Question: Which of the following is the general
mathematical statement of Ampere’s law?

 0 I 
A.  B   2 
r
 2R 
 0 I 
B.  B   2r R
1
C. 0  B.dl  I

 0 Idl sin 
D. dB  
4r 2
 The Origin of Magnetism
The magnetic properties of many materials can be
explained as due to the motion of the electrons
about the nucleus (orbital motion) and the spinning
of the electrons about their axis
Magnetic materials can be classified according to
how they react to the application of magnetic field
• In ferromagnetic materials, the atoms have
permanent magnetic domains which readily align
themselves with an externally applied magnetic
field; e.g. iron, cobalt and nickel. Such substances
can retain some of their magnetization even after
the applied magnetic field is removed
• In paramagnetic materials, the response to an
externally applied magnetic field is weak
compared with that of ferromagnetic magnetic
materials; e.g. aluminum, calcium and platinum.
A ferromagnetic material can become
paramagnetic when heated to a certain critical
temperature, the Curie temperature, that depends
on the material.
• In diamagnetic materials, an externally applied
magnetic field induces a very weak magnetization
that is opposite to the applied magnetic field.