LECTURE-8

MAGNETIC FIELDS
INTRODUCTION
• The most familiar examples of magnetism are permanent magnets,
which attract unmagnetized iron objects and can also attract or repel
other magnets.
• A compass needle aligning itself with the Earth’s magnetism is an
example of this interaction.
• But the fundamental nature of magnetism is the interaction of
moving electric charges.
• How can magnetic forces, which act only on moving charges, explain
the behavior of a compass needle?
MAGNETIC POLES
• If a bar-shaped permanent magnet, or bar magnet, is free to rotate,
one end points north; this end is called a north pole or N pole.
• The other end is a south pole or S pole.
• Opposite poles attract each other, and like poles repel each other, as
shown.
MAGNETISM AND CERTAIN METALS
• An object that contains iron but is not itself magnetized (that is, it
shows no tendency to point north or south) is attracted by either pole
of a permanent magnet.
• This is the attraction that acts between a magnet and the
unmagnetized steel door of a refrigerator.
MAGNETIC FIELD OF THE EARTH
• The earth itself is a magnet.
• Its north geographic pole is close to a magnetic south pole, which is
why the north pole of a compass needle points north.
• The earth’s magnetic axis is not quite parallel to its geographic axis
(the axis of rotation), so a compass reading deviates somewhat from
geographic north.
• This deviation, which varies with location, is called magnetic
declination or magnetic variation.
• Also, the magnetic field is not horizontal at most points on the earth’s
surface; its angle up or down is called magnetic inclination.
MAGNETIC MONOPOLES
• Magnetic poles always come in pairs
• There is no experimental evidence for magnetic monopoles.
ELECTRIC CURRENT AND MAGNETS
• A compass near a wire with no current points north.
• However, if an electric current runs through the wire, the compass
needle deflects somewhat.
THE MAGNETIC FIELD
• A moving charge (or current) creates a magnetic field in the
surrounding space.
• The magnetic field exerts a force on any other moving charge (or
current) that is present in the field.
• Like an electric field, a magnetic field is a vector field—that is, a
vector quantity associated with each point in space.
• We will use the symbol 𝐵, for magnetic field.
• At any position the direction of 𝐵 is defined as the direction in which
the north pole of a compass needle tends to point.
THE MAGNETIC FORCE ON A MOVING CHARGE
• The magnitude of the magnetic force on a moving particle is
proportional to the component of the particle’s velocity perpendicular
to the field.
• If the particle is at rest, or moving parallel to the field, it experiences
zero magnetic force.
MAGNETIC FORCE AS A VECTOR PRODUCT
• The magnetic force is best represented as a vector product.
THE MAGNETIC FORCE ON A MOVING CHARGE
RIGHT-HAND RULE FOR MAGNETIC FORCE
The right-hand rule gives the direction of the force on a positive charge.
Applying the right-hand rule:
1. Place the velocity and magnetic field vectors tail to tail.
2. Imagine turning 𝑣⃗ toward 𝐵 in the 𝑣 − 𝐵 plane (through the smaller
angle).
3. The force acts along a line perpendicular to the 𝑣 − 𝐵 plane. Curl
the fingers of your right hand around this line in the same direction
you rotated 𝑣.⃗ Your thumb now points in the direction the force
acts.
RIGHT-HAND RULE FOR MAGNETIC FORCE

• If the charge is negative, the direction of the force is opposite to that

given by the right-hand rule.
EQUAL VELOCITIES BUT OPPOSITE SIGNS
• Imagine two charges of the same magnitude but opposite sign
moving with the same velocity in the same magnetic field.
• The magnetic forces on the charges are equal in magnitude but
opposite in direction.
MAGNETIC FIELD LINES
• We can represent any magnetic field
by magnetic field lines.
• We draw the lines so that the line
through any point is tangent to the
magnetic field vector at that point.
• Field lines never intersect.
• The magnetic field lines look like the
ones we have discussed for the
electric dipoles.
MAGNETIC FIELD LINES ARE NOT LINES OF FORCE
• It is important to remember that magnetic field lines are not lines of
magnetic force.
• The force on a charged particle is not along the direction of a field
line.
MAGNETIC FIELD OF A STRAIGHT CURRENT-CARRYING WIRE
MAGNETIC FIELD LINES OF TWO PERMANENT MAGNETS

• Like little compass needles, iron filings line up tangent to magnetic

field lines.
• Figure-b is a drawing of field lines for the situation shown in Figure-a.
MAGNETIC FLUX
• To define the magnetic flux, we can divide any surface into elements of
area dA.
• The magnetic flux through the area element is defined to be
MAGNETIC FLUX
• The total magnetic flux through the surface is the sum of the
contributions from the individual area elements:

• The magnetic flux through any closed surface is zero:

UNITS OF MAGNETIC FIELD AND MAGNETIC FLUX
• The SI unit of magnetic field B is called the 𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑙𝑎 (1 𝑇), in honor of
Nikola Tesla:
1 𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑙𝑎 = 1 𝑇 = 1 𝑁/𝐴 1 𝑚
• Another unit of B, the 𝑔𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑠 (1 𝐺 = 10!" 𝑇), is also in common use.
• The magnetic field of the earth is on the order of 10!" 𝑇 or 1 𝐺.
• The SI unit of magnetic flux Φ is called the 𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑒𝑟 (1 𝑊𝑏), in honor
• of Wilhelm Weber:
1 𝑊𝑏 = 1 𝑇 1 𝑚#
MOTION OF CHARGED PARTICLES IN A MAGNETIC FIELD

• When a charged particle

moves in a magnetic field,
it is acted on by the
magnetic force.
• The force is always
perpendicular to the
velocity, so it cannot
change the speed of the
particle.
MOTION OF CHARGED PARTICLES IN A MAGNETIC FIELD

• As the magnetic force points towards the center of the circle, the magnetic
force takes over the role of the centripetal force, which is a pseudo-force. So
for the magnitudes we get
𝑚𝑣 !
𝐹 = 𝑞 𝑣𝐵 = = 𝑚𝑅𝜔!
𝑅
• So the radius of the circle of a charged particle entering a magnetic field, with
𝑣 being the perpendicular component to the magnetic field 𝐵 is
𝑚𝑣
𝑅=
𝑞𝐵
• The angular speed of the particle (cyclotron frequency) can be easily found by
𝑣 𝑞𝐵
𝜔= =
𝑅 𝑚
HELICAL MOTION
• If the particle has velocity
components parallel to and
perpendicular to the field, its
path is a helix.
• The speed and kinetic energy
of the particle remain constant.
THE VAN ALLEN RADIATION BELTS
• Near the poles, charged particles from these belts can enter the
atmosphere, producing the aurora borealis (“northern lights”) and
aurora australis (“southern lights”).
THE MAGNETIC FORCE ON A CURRENT-CARRYING CONDUCTOR

• The figure shows a straight segment of a

conducting wire, with length 𝑙 and cross-
sectional area 𝐴.
• The magnitude of the force on a single charge is
𝐹 = 𝑞𝑣$ 𝑑𝐵
• If the number of charges per unit volume is 𝑛,
then the total force on all the charges in this
segment is
𝐹 = 𝑛𝐴𝑙 𝑞𝑣$ 𝐵 = 𝑛𝑞𝑣$ 𝐴 𝑙𝐵
THE MAGNETIC FORCE ON A CURRENT-CARRYING CONDUCTOR

• The force is always perpendicular to

both the conductor and the field,
with the direction determined by
the same righthand rule we used
for a moving positive charge.
THE MAGNETIC FORCE ON A CURRENT-CARRYING CONDUCTOR
• The magnetic force on a segment of a straight wire can be represented
as a vector product.
FORCE AND TORQUE ON A CURRENT LOOP
• The net force on a current loop in a uniform magnetic field is zero.
• We can define a magnetic moment 𝜇⃗ with magnitude 𝐼 𝐴, and
direction as shown.

• The net torque on the loop is given by the vector product:

MAGNETIC DIPOLE IN A NONUNIFORM MAGNETIC FIELD

• A current loop with magnetic moment pointing to the left is in a

magnetic field that decreases in magnitude to the right.
• When these forces are summed to find the net force on the loop, the
radial components cancel so that the net force is to the right, away
from the magnet.
HOW MAGNETS WORK
a) An unmagnetized piece of iron.
Only a few representative atomic
moments are shown.

b) A magnetized piece of iron (bar

magnet). The net magnetic
moment of the bar magnet
points from its south pole to its
north pole.
HOW MAGNETS WORK
A bar magnet attracts an unmagnetized iron nail
in two steps:
1. The magnetic field of the bar magnet gives
rise to a net magnetic moment in the nail.
2. Because the field of the bar magnet is not
uniform, this magnetic dipole is attracted
toward the magnet.
• The attraction is the same whether the nail is
closer to (a) the magnet’s north pole or (b) the
magnet’s south pole.
THE DIRECT-CURRENT MOTOR
• Below is a schematic diagram of a simple dc
motor.
• The rotor is a wire loop that is free to rotate
about an axis; the rotor ends are attached to
the two curved conductors that form the
commutator.
• Current flows into the red side of the rotor
and out of the blue side.
• Therefore the magnetic torque causes the
rotor to spin counterclockwise.
Problem1- Find the magnitude and direction of the magnetic force on a particle of
charge 𝑞 = −5 𝜇𝐶 moving at a speed of 𝑣 = 2 𝑚/𝑠 in a magnetic field of
magnitude 𝐵 = 3 𝑇 and direction as indicated in the figure below.

Solution:
𝐹⃗! = 𝑞 𝑣×𝐵
⃗ = −5×10"# 2𝚤̂ × −3𝑘6 = −3×10"$ 𝚥̂ 𝑁

Magnitude and Direction :

𝐹! = 3×10"$ 𝑁
− :̂
• Problem2- Find the magnitude and the direction of the magnetic force on 𝑙 =
1 𝑚 segment of a wire carrying current 𝐼 = 8 𝐴 which is placed in a magnetic field
of magnitude 𝐵 = 2 𝑇 and direction as shown in the figure below.

• Solution:

⃗
• 𝐹⃗! = 𝐼 𝑙×𝐵 = 8 1𝑘6 × −2𝚤̂ = −16𝚥̂ 𝑁

• Magnitude and Direction :

𝐹! = 16 𝑁
− :̂
MAGNETIC FORCE ON A STRAIGHT CONDUCTOR
A straight horizontal copper rod carries a
current of 50.0 𝐴 from west to east in a
region between the poles of a large
electromagnet. In this region there is a
horizontal magnetic field toward the
northeast (that is, 45° north of east) with
magnitude 1.20 𝑇.
a) Find the magnitude and direction of the force on a 1.00 𝑚 section of rod.
b) While keeping the rod horizontal, how should it be oriented to maximize
the magnitude of the force? What is the force magnitude in this case?
MAGNETIC FORCE ON A STRAIGHT CONDUCTOR

The force becomes maximal, if φ = 90°, so we have to rotate the rod

clockwise by 45°.
MAGNETIC FORCE ON A STRAIGHT CONDUCTOR
A straight horizontal copper rod carries a current of 25 𝐴 from west to east in a region between the poles of a large
electromagnet. In this region there is a horizontal magnetic field with magnitude 1.5 𝑇 and direction as shown in
the figure.
a) Find the magnitude and direction of the force on a 1.00 𝑚 section of rod.
b) While keeping the rod horizontal, how should the magnetic field be oriented to have maximum magnetic force
magnitude?
c) What is the force magnitude in the case mentioned in part b?
ELECTRON MOTION IN A MAGNETRON
A magnetron in a microwave oven emits electromagnetic waves with
frequency 𝑓 = 2450 𝑀𝐻𝑧. What magnetic field strength is required for
electrons to move in circular paths with this frequency?
HELICAL PARTICLE MOTION IN A MAGNETIC FIELD
The charged particle seen in the figure is a proton 𝑞 = 1.602×10!%& 𝐶,
𝑚 = 1.67×10!#' 𝑘𝑔 and the uniform, 0.500 𝑇 magnetic field is
directed along the 𝑥 −axis. At 𝑡 = 0 the proton has velocity 𝑣⃗ =
1.5×10(𝚤̂ + 2.0×10(𝑘V 𝑚⁄𝑠. Only the magnetic force acts on the
proton.
a) At t = 0, find the force on the proton and its acceleration.
b) Find the radius of the resulting helical path, the angular speed of
the proton, and the pitch of the helix (the distance traveled along
the helix axis per revolution).
HELICAL PARTICLE MOTION IN A MAGNETIC FIELD
MAGNETIC FORCE ON A CURVED CONDUCTOR
In figure the magnetic field 𝐵 is uniform and perpendicular to the plane
of the figure, pointing out of the page. The conductor, carrying current
𝐼 to the left, has three segments: (1) a straight segment with length 𝐿
perpendicular to the plane of the figure, (2) a semicircle with radius 𝑅
and (3) another straight segment with length 𝐿 parallel to the 𝑥 −axis .
Find the total magnetic force on this conductor.
MAGNETIC FORCE ON A CURVED CONDUCTOR
MAGNETIC FORCE ON A CURVED CONDUCTOR
The conductor, carrying current 𝐼 to the right, has three segments: two
straight segments and one semicircle as seen in the figure below. The
magnetic field is uniform and points into the page. Calculate the total
magnetic force on this conductor.

⃗
𝑭 = 𝑰𝒍×𝑩 ⃗
𝒅𝑭 = 𝑰𝒅𝒍×𝑩 𝒅𝒍 = 𝑹𝒅𝜽 + 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜽 𝒅𝜽 = − 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽 + 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽 𝒅𝜽 = 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜽
MAGNETIC FORCE ON A CURVED CONDUCTOR
MAGNETIC FORCE ON A CURVED CONDUCTOR
MAGNETIC FORCE ON A CURVED CONDUCTOR
The conductor, carrying current 𝐼 to the right, has three segments: two straight
segments and one circular segment of 𝜃 = 120°, as seen in the figure below. The
magnetic field is uniform and points into the page. Calculate the total magnetic force
on this conductor.
MAGNETIC FLUX THROUGH THE LOOP
A uniform magnetic field of magnitude 𝐵 = 1.60 𝑇 is directed at an angle of 𝜃 =
60.0° to the plane of a circular loop of copper wire. The loop has a diameter of 𝐷 =
0.02 𝑚. What is the magnetic flux through the loop?