Chapter 30
Sources of the Magnetic Field
Biot-Savart Law – Introduction
Biot and Savart conducted experiments
on the force exerted by an electric
current on a nearby magnet
They arrived at a mathematical
expression that gives the magnetic field
at some point in space due to a current
Biot-Savart Law – Set-Up
The magnetic field is
dB at some point P
The length element
is ds
The wire is carrying
a steady current of I
Biot-Savart Law –
Observations
The vector dB is perpendicular to both
ds and to the unit vector r̂ directed from
ds toward P
The magnitude of dB is inversely
proportional to r2, where r is the
distance from ds to P
Biot-Savart Law –
Observations, cont
The magnitude of dB is proportional to
the current and to the magnitude ds of
the length element ds
The magnitude of dB is proportional to
sin θ, where θ is the angle between the
vectors ds and r̂
Biot-Savart Law – Equation
The observations are summarized in
the mathematical equation called the
Biot-Savart law:
μo I ds ˆr
dB
4π r 2
The magnetic field described by the law
is the field due to the current-carrying
conductor
Permeability of Free Space
The constant µo is called the
permeability of free space
µo = 4π x 10-7 T. m / A
Total Magnetic Field
dB is the field created by the current in the
length segment ds
To find the total field, sum up the
contributions from all the current elements I
ds
μo I ds ˆr
B
4π r2
The integral is over the entire current distribution
Biot-Savart Law – Final Notes
The law is also valid for a current
consisting of charges flowing through
space
ds represents the length of a small
segment of space in which the charges
flow
For example, this could apply to the
electron beam in a TV set
B Compared to E
Distance
The magnitude of the magnetic field varies
as the inverse square of the distance from
the source
The electric field due to a point charge also
varies as the inverse square of the
distance from the charge
B Compared to E, 2
Direction
The electric field created by a point charge
is radial in direction
The magnetic field created by a current
element is perpendicular to both the length
element ds and the unit vector r̂
B Compared to E, 3
Source
An electric field is established by an
isolated electric charge
The current element that produces a
magnetic field must be part of an extended
current distribution
Therefore you must integrate over the entire
current distribution
B Compared to E, 4
Ends
Magnetic field lines have no beginning and
no end
They form continuous circles
Electric field lines begin on positive
charges and end on negative charges
B for a Long, Straight
Conductor
The thin, straight wire
is carrying a constant
current
ds ˆr dxθsin kˆ
Integrating over all the
current elements gives
μo I θ2
Bθ dθ sin
4πa θ1
μ I
o cos θ1 cos θ2
4πa
B for a Long, Straight
Conductor, Special Case
If the conductor is
an infinitely long,
straight wire, θ1 = 0
and θ2 = π
The field becomes
μo I
B
2πa
B for a Long, Straight
Conductor, Direction
The magnetic field lines
are circles concentric
with the wire
The field lines lie in
planes perpendicular to
to wire
The magnitude of B is
constant on any circle of
radius a
The right-hand rule for
determining the
direction of B is shown
B for a Curved Wire Segment
Find the field at point O
due to the wire
segment
I and R are constants
μo I
Bθ
4πR
θ will be in radians
B for a Circular Loop of Wire
Consider the previous result, with θ = 2
π μo I μo I μo I
Bθ π 2
4πR 4πR 2R
This is the field at the center of the loop
B for a Circular Current Loop
The loop has a
radius of R and
carries a steady
current of I
Find B at point P
μo I R 2
Bx
2 x R
3
2 2 2
Comparison of Loops
Consider the field at the center of the
current loop
At this special point, x = 0
Then,
μo I R 2 μo I R 2
Bx
2 x R
3
2 2 2 2x 3
This is exactly the same result as from the
curved wire
Magnetic Field Lines for a
Loop
Figure (a) shows the magnetic field lines surrounding
a current loop
Figure (b) shows the field lines in the iron filings
Figure (c) compares the field lines to that of a bar
magnet
Magnetic Force Between Two
Parallel Conductors
Two parallel wires
each carry a steady
current
The field B2 due to
the current in wire 2
exerts a force on
wire 1 of F1 = I1ℓ B2
Active Figure 30.8
(SLIDESHOW MODE ONLY)
Magnetic Force Between Two
Parallel Conductors, cont.
Substituting the equation for B2 gives
μo I1 I 2
F1 l
2πa
Parallel conductors carrying currents in the
same direction attract each other
Parallel conductors carrying current in
opposite directions repel each other
Magnetic Force Between Two
Parallel Conductors, final
The result is often expressed as the
magnetic force between the two wires, FB
This can also be given as the force per
unit length:
Fμ o I1 I 2
B
l 2πa
Definition of the Ampere
The force between two parallel wires
can be used to define the ampere
When the magnitude of the force per
unit length between two long parallel
wires that carry identical currents and
are separated by 1 m is 2 x 10-7 N/m,
the current in each wire is defined to be
1A
Definition of the Coulomb
The SI unit of charge, the coulomb, is
defined in terms of the ampere
When a conductor carries a steady
current of 1 A, the quantity of charge
that flows through a cross section of the
conductor in 1 s is 1 C
Magnetic Field of a Wire
A compass can be used
to detect the magnetic
field
When there is no current
in the wire, there is no
field due to the current
The compass needles all
point toward the Earth’s
north pole
Due to the Earth’s
magnetic field
Magnetic Field of a Wire, 2
Here the wire carries
a strong current
The compass
needles deflect in a
direction tangent to
the circle
This shows the
direction of the
magnetic field
produced by the wire
Active Figure 30.9
(SLIDESHOW MODE ONLY)
Magnetic Field of a Wire, 3
The circular
magnetic field
around the wire is
shown by the iron
filings
Ampere’s Law
The product of B . ds can be evaluated for
small length elements ds on the circular path
defined by the compass needles for the long
straight wire
Ampere’s law states that the line integral of
B . ds around any closed path equals µoI
where I is the total steady current passing
through any surface bounded by the closed
path.
B dμs o I
Ñ
Ampere’s Law, cont.
Ampere’s law describes the creation of
magnetic fields by all continuous current
configurations
Most useful for this course if the current
configuration has a high degree of symmetry
Put the thumb of your right hand in the
direction of the current through the amperian
loop and your fingers curl in the direction you
should integrate around the loop
Field Due to a Long Straight
Wire – From Ampere’s Law
Want to calculate
the magnetic field at
a distance r from the
center of a wire
carrying a steady
current I
The current is
uniformly distributed
through the cross
section of the wire
Field Due to a Long Straight Wire
– Results From Ampere’s Law
Outside of the wire, r > R
B ds Bπr
Ñ (2 ) μ o I
μo I
B
2πr
Inside the wire, we need I’, the current
inside the amperian circle
r2
B ds Bπr
Ñ (2 ) μ o I' I' 2 I
R
μo I
B 2
r
2πR
Field Due to a Long Straight Wire
– Results Summary
The field is
proportional to r
inside the wire
The field varies as
1/r outside the wire
Both equations are
equal at r = R
Magnetic Field of a Toroid
Find the field at a
point at distance r
from the center of
the toroid
The toroid has N
turns of wire
B ds Bπr
Ñ (2 ) μ No I
μo N I
B
2πr
Magnetic Field of an Infinite
Sheet
Assume a thin,
infinitely large sheet
Carries a current of
linear current density
Js
The current is in the y
direction
Js represents the
current per unit length
along the z direction
Magnetic Field of an Infinite
Sheet, cont.
Use a rectangular amperian surface
The w sides of the rectangle do not
contribute to the field
The two ℓ sides (parallel to the surface)
contribute to the field
B dμs
Ñ o μI J o s l
Js
Bμ o
2
Magnetic Field of a Solenoid
A solenoid is a long
wire wound in the
form of a helix
A reasonably uniform
magnetic field can be
produced in the
space surrounded by
the turns of the wire
The interior of the
solenoid
Magnetic Field of a Solenoid,
Description
The field lines in the interior are
approximately parallel to each other
uniformly distributed
close together
This indicates the field is strong and
almost uniform
Magnetic Field of a Tightly
Wound Solenoid
The field distribution
is similar to that of a
bar magnet
As the length of the
solenoid increases
the interior field
becomes more
uniform
the exterior field
becomes weaker
Ideal Solenoid –
Characteristics
An ideal solenoid is
approached when:
the turns are closely
spaced
the length is much
greater than the
radius of the turns
Ampere’s Law Applied to a
Solenoid
Ampere’s law can be used to find the
interior magnetic field of the solenoid
Consider a rectangle with side ℓ parallel
to the interior field and side w
perpendicular to the field
The side of length ℓ inside the solenoid
contributes to the field
This is path 1 in the diagram
Ampere’s Law Applied to a
Solenoid, cont.
Applying Ampere’s Law gives
∫ B ⋅ ds = ∫ B ⋅ ds = B ∫ ds = B
path1 path1
The total current through the
rectangular path equals the current
through each turn multiplied by the
number of turns
∫ B ⋅ ds = B = µ oNI
Magnetic Field of a Solenoid,
final
Solving Ampere’s law for the magnetic
field is
N
Bμ o I μ n o I
n = N / ℓ is the number of turns per unit
length
This is valid only at points near the
center of a very long solenoid
Magnetic Flux
The magnetic flux
associated with a
magnetic field is
defined in a way
similar to electric
flux
Consider an area
element dA on an
arbitrarily shaped
surface
Magnetic Flux, cont.
The magnetic field in this element is B
dA is a vector that is perpendicular to the
surface
dA has a magnitude equal to the area dA
The magnetic flux ΦB is
B B dA
The unit of magnetic flux is T.m2 = Wb
Wb is a weber
Magnetic Flux Through a
Plane, 1
A special case is
when a plane of
area A makes an
angle θ with dA
The magnetic flux is
ΦB = BA cos θ
In this case, the field
is parallel to the
plane and Φ = 0
Magnetic Flux Through A
Plane, 2
The magnetic flux is Φ
B = BA cos θ
In this case, the field
is perpendicular to the
plane and
Φ = BA
This will be the
maximum value of the
flux
Active Figure 30.21
(SLIDESHOW MODE ONLY)
Gauss’ Law in Magnetism
Magnetic fields do not begin or end at
any point
The number of lines entering a surface
equals the number of lines leaving the
surface
Gauss’ law in magnetism says:
B dA 0
Ñ
Displacement Current
Ampere’s law in the original form is
valid only if any electric fields present
are constant in time
Maxwell modified the law to include time-
saving electric fields
Maxwell added an additional term which
includes a factor called the
displacement current, Id
Displacement Current, cont.
The displacement current is not the
current in the conductor
Conduction current will be used to refer to
current carried by a wire or other conductor
The displacement current is defined as
dE
I d εo
dt
ΦE = ∫E . dA is the electric flux and εo is the
permittivity of free space
Ampere’s Law – General
Form
Also known as the Ampere-Maxwell
law
d E
B dμs I I μ
o d μI ε
o o o
dt
Ampere’s Law – General
Form, Example
The electric flux
through S2 is EA
A is the area of the
capacitor plates
E is the electric field
between the plates
If q is the charge on
the plate at any
time, ΦE = EA = q/εo
Ampere’s Law – General
Form, Example, cont.
Therefore, the displacement current is
d E dq
Iεd o
dt dt
The displacement current is the same
as the conduction current through S1
The displacement current on S2 is the
source of the magnetic field on the
surface boundary
Ampere-Maxwell Law, final
Magnetic fields are produced both by
conduction currents and by time-varying
electric fields
This theoretical work by Maxwell
contributed to major advances in the
understanding of electromagnetism
Magnetic Moments
In general, any current loop has a
magnetic field and thus has a magnetic
dipole moment
This includes atomic-level current loops
described in some models of the atom
This will help explain why some
materials exhibit strong magnetic
properties
Magnetic Moments – Classical
Atom
The electrons move in
circular orbits
The orbiting electron
constitutes a tiny current
loop
The magnetic moment of
the electron is associated
with this orbital motion
L is the angular momentum
µ is magnetic moment
Magnetic Moments – Classical
Atom, 2
This model assumes the electron
moves
with constant speed v
in a circular orbit of radius r
travels a distance 2πr in a time interval T
The orbital speed is
2πr
v
T
Magnetic Moments – Classical
Atom, 3
The current is I e ev
Tπr 2
1
The magnetic moment is μ I A 2 evr
The magnetic moment can also be
expressed in terms of the angular
momentum
e
μ L
2me
Magnetic Moments – Classical
Atom, final
The magnetic moment of the electron is
proportional to its orbital angular
momentum
The vectors L and µ point in opposite
directions
Quantum physics indicates that angular
momentum is quantized
Magnetic Moments of Multiple
Electrons
In most substances, the magnetic
moment of one electron is canceled by
that of another electron orbiting in the
same direction
The net result is that the magnetic effect
produced by the orbital motion of the
electrons is either zero or very small
Electron Spin
Electrons (and other particles) have an
intrinsic property called spin that also
contributes to their magnetic moment
The electron is not physically spinning
It has an intrinsic angular momentum as if
it were spinning
Spin angular momentum is actually a
relativistic effect
Electron Spin, cont.
The classical model of
electron spin is the
electron spinning on its
axis
The magnitude of the spin
angular momentum is
3
S h
2
is Planck’s constant
Electron Spin and Magnetic
Moment
The magnetic moment characteristically
associated with the spin of an electron
has the value
eh
μspin
2me
This combination of constants is called
the Bohr magneton µ B = 9.27 x 10-24
J/T
Electron Magnetic Moment,
final
The total magnetic moment
of an atom is the vector
sum of the orbital and spin
magnetic moments
Some examples are given
in the table at right
The magnetic moment of a
proton or neutron is much
smaller than that of an
electron and can usually be
neglected
Magnetization Vector
The magnetic state of a substance is
described by a quantity called the
magnetization vector, M
The magnitude of the vector is defined as the
magnetic moment per unit volume of the
substance
The magnetization vector is related to the
magnetic field by Bm = µoM
When a substance is placed in an magnetic field,
the total magnetic field is B = Bo + µoM
Magnetic Field Strength
The magnetic field strength, H, is the
magnetic moment per unit volume due
to currents
H is defined as Bo/µo
The total magnetic field in a region can
be expressed as B = µo(H + M)
H and M have the same units
SI units are amperes per meter
Classification of Magnetic
Substances
Paramagnetic and ferromagnetic
materials are made of atoms that have
permanent magnetic moments
Diamagnetic materials are those made
of atoms that do not have permanent
magnetic moments
Magnetic Susceptibility
The dimensionless factor can be considered
a measure of how susceptible a material is to
being magnetized
M=XH
For paramagnetic substances, X is positive
and M is in the same direction as H
For diamagnetic substances, X is negative
and M is opposite H
Table of Susceptibilities
Magnetic Permeability
The total magnetic field can be
expressed as
B = µo(H + M) = µo(1 + X)H = µmH
µm is called the magnetic permeability
of the substance and is related to the
susceptibility by µm= µo(1 + X)
Classifying Materials by
Permeability
Materials can be classified by how their
permeability compares with the
permeability of free space (µo)
Paramagnetic: µm > µo
Diamagnetic: µm < µo
Because X is very small for
paramagnetic and diamagnetic
substances, µm ~ µo for those substances
Ferromagnetic Materials
For a ferromagnetic material, M is not a
linear function of H
The value of µm is not only a
characteristic of the substance, but
depends on the previous state of the
substance and the process it underwent
as it moved from its previous state to its
present state
Ferromagnetic Materials, cont
Some examples of ferromagnetic materials are:
iron
cobalt
nickel
gadolinium
dysprosium
They contain permanent atomic magnetic
moments that tend to align parallel to each other
even in a weak external magnetic field
Domains
All ferromagnetic materials are made up
of microscopic regions called domains
The domain is an area within which all
magnetic moments are aligned
The boundaries between various
domains having different orientations
are called domain walls
Domains, Unmagnetized
Material
The magnetic
moments in the
domains are
randomly aligned
The net magnetic
moment is zero
Domains, External Field
Applied
A sample is placed in
an external magnetic
field
The size of the
domains with
magnetic moments
aligned with the field
grows
The sample is
magnetized
Domains, External Field
Applied, cont.
The material is placed in
a stronger field
The domains not aligned
with the field become
very small
When the external field
is removed, the material
may retain a net
magnetization in the
direction of the original
field
Magnetization Curve
The total field
increases with
increasing current
(O to a)
As the external field
increases, more
domains are aligned
and H reaches a
maximum at point a
Magnetization Curve, cont
At point a, the material is approaching
saturation
Saturation is when all magnetic moments are
aligned
If the current is reduced to 0, the external
field is eliminated
The curve follows the path from a to b
At point b, B is not zero even though the
external field Bo = 0
Magnetization Curve, final
B total is not zero because there is
magnetism due to the alignment of the
domains
The material is said to have a remanent
magnetization
If the current is reversed, the magnetic
moments reorient until the field is zero
Increasing this reverse current will cause the
material to be magnetized in the opposite
direction
Magnetic Hysteresis
This effect is called magnetic hysteresis
It shows that the magnetization of a
ferromagnetic substance depends on the
history of the substance as well as on the
magnetic field applied
The closed loop on the graph is referred to as a
hysteresis loop
Its shape and size depend on the properties of the
ferromagnetic substance and on the strength of the
maximum applied field
Example Hysteresis Curves
Curve (a) is for a hard ferromagnetic material
The width of the curve indicates a great amount of remanent
magnetism
They cannot be easily demagnetized by an external field
Curve (b) is for a soft ferromagnetic material
These materials are easily magnetized and demagnetized
More About Magnetization
Curves
The area enclosed by a magnetization curve
represents the energy input required to take
the material through the hysteresis cycle
When the magnetization cycle is repeated,
dissipative processes within the material due
to realignment of the magnetic moments
result in an increase in internal energy
This is made evident by an increase in the
temperature of the substance
Curie Temperature
The Curie temperature is
the critical temperature
above which a
ferromagnetic material
loses its residual
magnetism and becomes
paramagnetic
Above the Curie
temperature, the thermal
agitation is great enough to
cause a random orientation
of the moments
Table of Some Curie
Temperatures
Curie’s Law
Curie’s law gives the relationship
between the applied magnetic field and
the absolute temperature of a
paramagnetic material:
Bo
M C
T
C is called Curie’s constant
Diamagnetism
When an external magnetic field is
applied to a diamagnetic substance, a
weak magnetic moment is induced in
the direction opposite the applied field
Diamagnetic substances are weakly
repelled by a magnet
Meissner Effect
Certain types of
superconductors also
exhibit perfect
diamagnetism
This is called the
Meissner effect
If a permanent magnet
is brought near a
superconductor, the
two objects repel each
other
Earth’s Magnetic Field
The Earth’s magnetic field
resembles that achieved by
burying a huge bar magnet
deep in the Earth’s interior
The Earth’s south magnetic
pole is located near the north
geographic pole
The Earth’s north magnetic
pole is located near the
south geographic pole
Dip Angle of Earth’s Magnetic
Field
If a compass is free to rotate vertically as well
as horizontally, it points to the Earth’s surface
The angle between the horizontal and the
direction of the magnetic field is called the dip
angle
The farther north the device is moved, the farther
from horizontal the compass needle would be
The compass needle would be horizontal at the equator and
the dip angle would be 0°
The compass needle would point straight down at the south
magnetic pole and the dip angle would be 90°
More About the Earth’s
Magnetic Poles
The dip angle of 90° is found at a point just
north of Hudson Bay in Canada
This is considered to be the location of the south
magnetic pole
The magnetic and geographic poles are not in
the same exact location
The difference between true north, at the geographic
north pole, and magnetic north is called the
magnetic declination
The amount of declination varies by location on the Earth’s
surface
Earth’s Magnetic Declination
Source of the Earth’s
Magnetic Field
There cannot be large masses of
permanently magnetized materials since the
high temperatures of the core prevent
materials from retaining permanent
magnetization
The most likely source of the Earth’s
magnetic field is believed to be convection
currents in the liquid part of the core
There is also evidence that the planet’s
magnetic field is related to its rate of rotation
Reversals of the Earth’s
Magnetic Field
The direction of the Earth’s magnetic
field reverses every few million years
Evidence of these reversals are found in
basalts resulting from volcanic activity
The origin of the reversals is not
understood
