Chapter 29

Magnetic Fields

A Brief History of Magnetism

13th

Chinese used a compass

800

century BC
Uses a magnetic needle
Probably an invention of Arabic or Indian origin

BC

Greeks

Discovered magnetite (Fe3O4) attracts pieces of iron

A Brief History of Magnetism, 2

1269

Pierre de Maricourt found that the direction of a

needle near a spherical natural magnet formed
lines that encircled the sphere
The lines also passed through two points
diametrically opposed to each other
He called the points poles

A Brief History of Magnetism, 3

1600

William Gilbert

Expanded experiments with magnetism to a variety of

materials
Suggested the Earth itself was a large permanent
magnet

A Brief History of Magnetism, 4

1819
Hans Christian Oersted

Discovered the
relationship
between electricity
and magnetism
An electric current
in a wire deflected a
nearby compass
needle

A Brief History of Magnetism,

final
1820s

Faraday and Henry

Further connections between electricity and

magnetism
A changing magnetic field creates an electric field

Maxwell

A changing electric field produces a magnetic field

Magnetic Poles
Every

magnet, regardless of its shape, has

two poles

Called north and south poles

Poles exert forces on one another

Similar to the way electric charges exert forces on

each other
Like poles repel each other

N-N or S-S

Unlike poles attract each other

N-S

Magnetic Poles, cont.

The poles received their names due to the way a

magnet behaves in the Earths magnetic field
If a bar magnet is suspended so that it can move
freely, it will rotate

The magnetic north pole points toward the Earths north

geographic pole
This means the Earths north geographic pole is a magnetic
south pole
Similarly, the Earths south geographic pole is a magnetic
north pole

Magnetic Poles, final

The

force between two poles varies as the

inverse square of the distance between them
A single magnetic pole has never been
isolated

In other words, magnetic poles are always found

in pairs
All attempts so far to detect an isolated magnetic
pole has been unsuccessful

No matter how many times a permanent magnetic is

cut in two, each piece always has a north and south
pole

Magnetic Fields
Reminder:

an electric field surrounds any

electric charge
The region of space surrounding any moving
electric charge also contains a magnetic field
A magnetic field also surrounds a magnetic
substance making up a permanent magnet

Magnetic Fields, cont.

A

vector quantityr
Symbolized by B
Direction is given by the direction a north pole
of a compass needle points in that location
Magnetic field lines can be used to show how
the field lines, as traced out by a compass,
would look

Magnetic Field Lines, Bar

Magnet Example

The compass can be

used to trace the field
lines
The lines outside the
magnet point from the
North pole to the South
pole
Use the active figure to
trace the field lines
PLAY
ACTIVE FIGURE

Magnetic Field Lines, Bar

Magnet

Iron filings are used to

show the pattern of the
electric field lines
The direction of the
field is the direction a
north pole would point

Magnetic Field Lines, Unlike

Poles

Iron filings are used to

show the pattern of the
electric field lines
The direction of the
field is the direction a
north pole would point

Compare to the electric

field produced by an
electric dipole

Magnetic Field Lines, Like

Poles

Iron filings are used to

show the pattern of the
electric field lines
The direction of the
field is the direction a
north pole would point

Compare to the electric

field produced by like
charges

Definition of Magnetic Field

The

magnetic field at some point in space

can ber defined in terms of the magnetic
force,FB
The magnetic force will be exerted on a
r
charged particle moving with a velocity, v

Assume (for now) there are no gravitational or

electric fields present

Force on a Charge Moving in a

Magnetic Field
The

magnitude FB of the magnetic force

exerted on the particle is proportional to the
charge, q, and to the speed, v, of the particle
When a charged particle moves parallel to the
magnetic field vector, the magnetic force
acting on the particle is zero
When the particles velocity vector makes any
angle 0 with the field, the force acts in a
direction perpendicular to both the velocity
and the field

FB on a Charge Moving in a
Magnetic Field, final
The

magnetic force exerted on a positive

charge is in the direction opposite the
direction of the magnetic force exerted on a
negative charge moving in the same direction
The magnitude of the magnetic force is
proportional to sin , where is the angle the
particles velocity makes with the direction of
the magnetic field

More About Direction

r
r
r
F is perpendicular to the plane formed by v and B
B

Oppositely directed forces exerted on oppositely

charged particles will cause the particles to move in
opposite directions

Force on a Charge Moving in a

Magnetic Field, Formula
The

properties can be summarized in a

vector equation:
r
r r
FB qv B
r
F is the magnetic force
B

q is the charge
vr is the velocity of the moving charge
B is the magnetic field

Direction: Right-Hand Rule #1

The fingers point

in the
r
v
direction
of
r
B comes out of your
palm

Curl your fingers

in the
r
direction of B

The thumb points

in the
r
r
direction of v B which
r
is the direction of FB

Direction: Right-Hand Rule #2

Alternative to Rule #1
Thumb is in rthe
direction of v
Fingers are in
r the
direction of B
r is in the direction
Palm
of FB

On a positive particle
You can think of this as
your hand pushing the
particle

More About Magnitude of F

The

magnitude of the magnetic force on a

charged particle is FB = |q| v B sin

is the smaller angle between v and B

FB is zero when the field and velocity are parallel
or antiparallel

= 0 or 180o

FB is a maximum when the field and velocity are

perpendicular

= 90o

Differences Between Electric

and Magnetic Fields
Direction

of force

The electric force acts along the direction of the

electric field
The magnetic force acts perpendicular to the
magnetic field

Motion

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

More Differences Between

Electric and Magnetic Fields
Work

The electric force does work in displacing a

charged particle
The magnetic force associated with a steady
magnetic field does no work when a particle is
displaced
This

is because the force is perpendicular to

the displacement

Work in Fields, cont.

The

kinetic energy of a charged particle

moving through a magnetic field cannot be
altered by the magnetic field alone
When a charged particle moves with a given
velocity through a magnetic field, the field can
alter the direction of the velocity, but not the
speed or the kinetic energy

Units of Magnetic Field

The

SI unit of magnetic field is the tesla (T)

Wb
N
N
T 2

m
C ( m / s ) A m

Wb is a weber

non-SI commonly used unit is a gauss (G)

1 T = 104 G

Notation Notes

When vectors are

perpendicular to the
page, dots and crosses
are used

The dots represent the

arrows coming out of the
page
The crosses represent
the arrows going into the
page

Charged Particle in a Magnetic

Field

Consider a particle moving

in an external magnetic field
with its velocity
perpendicular to the field
The force is always directed
toward the center of the
circular path
The magnetic force causes
a centripetal acceleration,
changing the direction of
the velocity of the particle
Use the active figure to
change the parameters of
the particle and observe the
motion
PLAY
ACTIVE FIGURE

Force on a Charged Particle

Equating the magnetic and centripetal forces:

mv 2
FB qvB
r
Solving for r:

mv
r
qB

r is proportional to the linear momentum of the

particle and inversely proportional to the magnetic
field

More About Motion of Charged

Particle
The

angular speed of the particle is

v qB

r
m

The angular speed, , is also referred to as the

cyclotron frequency

The

period of the motion is

2r 2 2m
T

v
qB

Motion of a Particle, General

If a charged particle moves

in a magnetic field at some
arbitrary angle with respect
to the field, its path is a
helix
Same equations apply, with
v v y2 v z2

Use the active figure to vary

the initial velocity and
observe the resulting motion
PLAY
ACTIVE FIGURE

Bending of an Electron Beam

Electrons are
accelerated from rest
through a potential
difference
The electrons travel in
a curved path
Conservation of energy
will give v
Other parameters can
be found

Particle in a Nonuniform
Magnetic Field

The motion is complex

For example, the
particles can oscillate
back and forth between
two positions
This configuration is
known as a magnetic
bottle

Van Allen Radiation Belts

The Van Allen radiation

belts consist of charged
particles surrounding the
Earth in doughnut-shaped
regions
The particles are trapped by
the Earths magnetic field
The particles spiral from
pole to pole

May result in Auroras

Charged Particles Moving in

Electric and Magnetic Fields
In

many applications, charged particles will

move in the presence of both magnetic and
electric fields
In that case, the total force is the sum of the
forces due to the individual fields
r
r
r r
In general: F qE qv B

Velocity Selector

Used when all the

particles need to move
with the same velocity
A uniform electric field
is perpendicular to a
uniform magnetic field
Use the active figure to
vary the fields to
achieve the straight line
motion
PLAY
ACTIVE FIGURE

Velocity Selector, cont.

When

the force due to the electric field is

equal but opposite to the force due to the
magnetic field, the particle moves in a
straight line
This occurs for velocities of value
v=E/B

Velocity Selector, final

Only

those particles with the given speed will

pass through the two fields undeflected
The magnetic force exerted on particles
moving at speed greater than this is stronger
than the electric field and the particles will be
deflected to the left
Those moving more slowly will be deflected
to the right

Mass Spectrometer

A mass spectrometer
separates ions
according to their
mass-to-charge ratio
A beam of ions passes
through a velocity
selector and enters a
second magnetic field
Use the active figure to
see where the particles
strike the detector array
PLAY
ACTIVE FIGURE

Mass Spectrometer, cont.

After

entering the second magnetic field, the

ions move in a semicircle of radius r before
striking a detector at P
If the ions are positively charged, they deflect
to the left
If the ions are negatively charged, they
deflect to the right

Cyclotron
A

cyclotron is a device that can accelerate

charged particles to very high speeds
The energetic particles produced are used to
bombard atomic nuclei and thereby produce
reactions
These reactions can be analyzed by
researchers

Cyclotron, 2

D1 and D2 are called

dees because of their
shape
A high frequency
alternating potential is
applied to the dees
A uniform magnetic
field is perpendicular to
them

Cyclotron, 3
A

positive ion is released near the center and

moves in a semicircular path
The potential difference is adjusted so that
the polarity of the dees is reversed in the
same time interval as the particle travels
around one dee
This ensures the kinetic energy of the particle
increases each trip

Cyclotron, final
The

cyclotrons operation is based on the fact

that T is independent of the speed of the
particles and of the radius of their path
2 2 2
1
q BR
2
K mv
2
2m

Magnetic Force on a Current

Carrying Conductor
A

force is exerted on a current-carrying wire

placed in a magnetic field

The current is a collection of many charged

particles in motion

The

direction of the force is given by the

right-hand rule

Force on a Wire

In this case, there is no

current, so there is no
force
Therefore, the wire
remains vertical

Force on a Wire (2)

The magnetic field is

into the page
The current is up the
page
The force is to the left

Force on a Wire, (3)

The magnetic field is

into the page
The current is down the
page
The force is to the right

Force on a Wire, equation

The magnetic force is

exerted on each
moving charge in the
wire
r
r
r

F qv d B

The total force is the

product of the force on
one charge and the
number of charges

r
r
r
F qvd B nAL

Force on a Wire, (4)

In

terms of the current, this becomes

r
r r
FB IL B

I is the current
r
L is a vector that points in the direction of the
current

r Its magnitude is the length L of the segment

B is the magnetic field

Force on a Wire, Arbitrary

Shape

Consider a small
r
segment of the wire, ds
The force exerted on
this
r segment isr

r
dFB I ds B

The total force is

r
r
b r
FB I ds B
a

Torque on a Current Loop

The rectangular loop

carries a current I in a
uniform magnetic field
No magnetic force acts
on sides 1 & 3

The wires arer parallel

to
r
the field and L B 0

Torque on a Current Loop, 2

There is a force on sides 2

& 4 since they are
perpendicular to the field
The magnitude of the
magnetic force on these
sides will be:

F2 = F 4 = I a B

The direction of F2 is out of

the page
The direction of F4 is into
the page

Torque on a Current Loop, 3

The forces are equal

and in opposite
directions, but not
along the same line of
action
The forces produce a
torque around point O

Torque on a Current Loop,

Equation
The

maximum torque is found by:

b
b
b
b
max F2 F4 (I aB ) (I aB )
2
2
2
2
I abB
The area enclosed by the loop is ab, so max
= IAB

This maximum value occurs only when the field is

parallel to the plane of the loop

Torque on a Current Loop,

General
Assume the magnetic
field makes an angle of
< 90o with a line
perpendicular to the
plane of the loop
The net torque about
point O will be = IAB
sin
Use the active figure to
vary the initial settings
and observe the
resulting motion

PLAY
ACTIVE FIGURE

Torque on a Current Loop,

Summary
The

torque has a maximum value when the

field is perpendicular to the normal to the
plane of the loop
The torque is zero when the field is parallel to
the normal to the plane of the loop
r r
r
r
IA B where A is perpendicular to the
plane of the loop and has a magnitude equal
to the area of the loop

Direction

The right-hand rule can

be used to determine
r
the direction of A
Curl your fingers in the
direction of the current
in the loop
Your thumb points
r in
the direction of A

Magnetic Dipole Moment

r
The product I A is defined as the magnetic
r
dipole moment, , of the loop

Often called the magnetic moment

units: A m2
Torque in terms of magnetic moment:
r r r
B
r r
SI

r
E
Analogous to p for
electric dipole

Potential Energy
The

potential energy of the system of a

magnetic dipole in a magnetic field depends
on the orientation of the dipole in the
magnetic field:
r r
U gB

Umin = -B and occurs when the dipole moment is

in the same direction as the field
Umax = +B and occurs when the dipole moment is
in the direction opposite the field

Hall Effect
When

a current carrying conductor is placed

in a magnetic field, a potential difference is
generated in a direction perpendicular to both
the current and the magnetic field
This phenomena is known as the Hall effect
It arises from the deflection of charge carriers
to one side of the conductor as a result of the
magnetic forces they experience

Hall Effect, cont.

The

Hall effect gives information regarding

the sign of the charge carriers and their
density
It can also be used to measure magnetic
fields

Hall Voltage

This shows an
arrangement for
observing the Hall
effect
The Hall voltage is
measured between
points a and c

Hall Voltage, cont

When the charge carriers are negative, the upper edge of the
conductor becomes negatively charged

c is at a lower potential than a

When the charge carriers are positive, the upper edge

becomes positively charged

c is at a higher potential than a

Hall Voltage, final

VH = EHd = vd B d

d is the width of the conductor

vd is the drift velocity

If B and d are known, vd can be found

I B RH I B
VH

nqt
t

RH = 1 / nq is called the Hall coefficient

A properly calibrated conductor can be used to measure

the magnitude of an unknown magnetic field