CH 28 – MAGNETIC FIELDS

What Produces a Magnetic Field?

• moving electrically charged particles
ex: current in a wire makes an electromagnet

• spinning motion of the electrons

• Large objects, such as the earth, other planets,

and stars, also produce magnetic fields
Definition of Magnetic Field
How to Find the Magnetic Force on a Particle?
1. The magnitude of the force acting on a
particle in a magnetic field is proportional to
the charge q and speed v of the particle.

2. The Direction of the force  use RIGHT HAND RULE

If q is If q is
positive negative
 Magnetic Field Lines
Similar to electric field lines
(1) the direction of the tangent to a magnetic field line at any point
gives the direction of at that point
(2) the spacing of the lines represents the magnitude of —the
magnetic field is stronger where the lines are closer together,
and conversely.

The external magnetic effects of a bar magnet are

strongest near its ends, where the field lines are most
closely spaced.
Thus, the magnetic field of the bar magnet collects
The magnetic field the iron filings mainly near the two ends of the
lines for a bar magnet magnet.
 Magnetic Field Lines (Cont.)
• The (closed) field lines enter one end of a magnet and exit the other end.
• The end of a magnet from which the field lines emerge is called the north
pole of the magnet; the other end, where field lines enter the magnet, is
called the south pole.
• Because a magnet has two poles, it is said to be a magnetic dipole.

Other common shapes:

 Crossed Fields: Discovery of the Electron
• Both an electric field and a magnetic field can produce a force on a
charged particle.
• When the two fields are perpendicular to each other, they are said to
be crossed fields.
What happens to charged particles as they move through crossed fields?
A modern version of apparatus for measuring the ratio of mass to Deflection of the particle at
charge for the electron. the far end of the plates is

When the two

fields in Fig. are
adjusted so that
the two
deflecting forces
cancel 
 Crossed Fields: The Hall Effect
When a conducting strip carrying a current i is placed in a uniform
magnetic field, some charge carriers (with charge e) build up on one side
of the conductor, creating a potential difference V across the strip.
• The polarities of the sides indicate the sign of the charge carriers.
• The number density of the charge carriers:

A strip of copper carrying a current i is immersed in

a magnetic field. (a)The situation immediately after
the magnetic field is turned on. The curved path that
will then be taken by an electron is shown. (b) The
situation at equilibrium, which quickly follows. Note
that negative charges pile up on the right side of the
strip, leaving uncompensated positive charges on
the left. Thus, the left side is at a higher potential
than the right side. (c) For the same current
direction, if the charge carriers were positively
charged, they would pile up on the right side, and
the right side would be at the higher potential.
 A Circulating Charged Particle
A charged particle with mass m and charge magnitude |q| moving with
velocity perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field will travel in a circle.
Applying Newton’s 2nd law to the circular motion yields

from which we find the radius r of the circle to be

The frequency of revolution f, the angular frequency, and the period of

the motion T are given by
Magnetic Force on a Current-Carrying Wire

A straight wire carrying a current i in a uniform

magnetic field experiences
a sideways force

The force acting on a current element in a

magnetic field is
 Torque on a Current Loop
The elements of an electric motor:

• A rectangular loop of wire, carrying a current and free to rotate about

a fixed axis, is placed in a magnetic field.
• Magnetic forces on the wire produce a torque that rotates it.
• A commutator (not shown) reverses the direction of the current every
half-revolution so that the torque always acts in the same direction.
 Torque on a Current Loop (Cont.)
A rectangular loop, of length a and width b and carrying a current i, is located
in a uniform magnetic field. A torque acts to align the normal vector with the
direction of the field.
Magnitude of the total torque on the coil (of area A and N turns):

A perspective of the loop

showing how the righthand A side view of the loop,
The loop as seen by looking in rule gives the direction of ,
the direction of the magnetic from side 2. The loop
which is perpendicular to the
rotates as indicated.
 The Magnetic Dipole Moment
• The coil behaves like a bar magnet placed in the magnetic field.
• Thus, like a bar magnet, a current-carrying coil is said to be a magnetic dipole.
• Assign a magnetic dipole moment

MAGNETIC DIPOLE MOMENT

• The direction: grasp the coil with the
fingers of your right hand in the
direction of current i; the outstretched
thumb of that hand gives the direction.
• The magnitude of is given by

N: number of turns in the coil

i: current through the coil
A: area enclosed by each turn of the coil
• Then the torque on the coil due to a magnetic field can be
written as:

• A magnetic dipole in an external magnetic field has an

energy that depends on the dipole’s orientation in the field.
The orientation energy of a magnetic dipole in a magnetic
field is:

• If an external agent rotates a magnetic dipole from an initial

orientation ui to some other orientation uf and the dipole is
stationary both initially and finally, the work Wa done on
the dipole by the agent is