Magnetic Fields Flashcards
What is a magnetic field?
A field surrounding a permanent magnet or a current-carrying conductor in which magnetic objects experience a force
How can you detect the presence of a magnetic field?
With a small plotting compass - the needle will deflect in the presence of a magnetic field
What do we use magnetic field lines for?
Mapping magnetic field patterns around magnets and current-carrying conductors
What are magnetic field patterns?
Useful visual representations that help us to interpret the direction and the strength of the magnetic fields
What is the arrow on a magnetic field line?
The direction in which a free north pole would move
What way does the arrow on a magnetic field line point?
North to south
What do equally spaced and parallel magnetic field lines represent?
A unform field
What is a uniform magnetic field?
One in which the strength of the magnetic field does not vary
When is a magnetic field stronger?
When the magnetic field lines are closer
Where is the magnetic field strongest for a bar magnet?
At the north and south poles
How can iron filings be used to reveal the magnetic field around a bar magnet?
Place a piece of paper on top of a bar magnet, and sprinkle iron filings around the piece of paper. The magnetic field induces magnetism in the filings, which line up in the magnetic field
What happens when a wire carries a current?
A magnetic field is created around the wire
What is the magnetic field around a current-carrying wire created by?
The electrons moving within the wire
What does any charged particle that moves create?
A magnetic field in the space around it
What are the magnetic field lines for a current-carrying wire?
Concentric circles centered on the wire and perpendicular to it
How can the direction of the magnetic field for a current-carrying wire be determined?
Using the right hand grip rule
How can the direction of the magnetic field for a current-carrying wire be determined?
Using the right-hand grip rule
How does the right-hand grip rule indicate the direction of the magnetic field for a current-carrying wire?
The thumb points in the direction of the conventional current, and the direction of the field is given by the direction in which the fingers curl around the wire
What do both a single coil and solenoid produce?
Noth and south poles at their opposite faces
What is the magnetic field pattern outside a solenoid similar to?
That for a bar magnet
What is the magnetic field at the center of the core of a solenoid?
Unform - parallel and equidistant magnetic field lines
What happens when a current-carrying conductor is placed in an external magnetic field?
The two fields interact just like the fields of two permanent magnets
What type of force do the two magnets experience when a current-carrying conductor is placed in an external magnetic field?
Equal and opposite forces
How can the direction of the force experienced by a current-carrying conductor placed perpendicular to an external magnetic field be determined?
Using fleming’s left-hand rule
How does Fleming’s left-hand rule indicate the direction of the force experienced by a current-carrying conductor placed perpendicular to an external magnetic field?
First finger gives the direction of the external magnetic field
Second finger gives the direction of the conventional current
Thumb gives the direction of motion (force) of the wire
When is the force experienced by a wire in an external magnetic field maximum and zero?
The force is a maximum when the wire is perpendicular to the field and zero when it is parallel to the magnetic field
What is the magnitude of the force experienced by a wire in an external magnetic field directly proportional to?
Current I
Length L of the wire in the magnetic field
Sin(theta) where theta is the angle between the magnetic field and the current direction
The strength of the magnetic field
What is the equation for the force experienced by a wire in an external magnetic field?
F = BILSin(theta)
B - magnetic flux density (strength of the field)
I - current
L - length of the wire
Theta - angle between magnetic field and current direction
What is magnetic flux density analogous to?
Electric field strength E for electric fields and gravitational field strength g for gravitational fields
What is the SI units for magnetic flux density?
Tesla (T) = 1Nm-1A-1
When is the magnetic flux density 1T?
When a wire carrying a current of 1A placed perpendicular to the magnetic field experiences a force of 1N per meter of its length
When a wire is perpendicular to the magnetic field, theta = 90 and sin(theta) = 1, what does this mean?
F = BIL and the direction of the force can be determined using Fleming’s left-hand rule
When a wire is perpendicular to the magnetic field and F=BIL, what is the equation for magnetic flux density?
B = F / IL
Is magnetic flux density a vector or scalar quanity?
Vector quantity - it has both magnitude and a direction
Describe an experiment to determine the magnetic flux density between two magnets
Place 2 magnets on a top-pan balance
Hold a stiff copper wire perpendicular to the magnetic field between the two magnet poles
Measure the length L of the wire in the magnetic field with a ruler
Using crocodile clips, connect a section of the wire in series with an ammeter and variable power supply
Zero the balance when there is no current in the wire
With a current I, the wire experiences a vertical upward force (LHR), and the magnets experience an equal downwards force (N3L) which can be calculated from the change in the mass reading using F = mg
Magnetic flux density can be determined with F / IL
What will a charged particle moving in a magnetic field experience?
A force
How can the effect of the statement ‘a charged particle moving in a magnetic field will experience a force’ be demonstrated for a beam of electrons?
Using an electron deflection tube
Explain how an electron deflection tube can demonstrate the effect of the statement ‘a charged particle moving in a magnetic field will experience a force’
The force on the beam of the electrons can be predicted using Fleming’s LHR
The beam of electrons is moving from left to right into a region of uniform magnetic field
As the electrons enter the field, they experience a downward force
The electrons change direction, but the force F on each electron always remains perpendicular to its velocity
The speed of the electrons remains unchanged because the force has no component in the direction of motion
Once out of the field, the electrons keep moving in a straight line
For electrons coming out of an electron deflection tube, how do they travel in a region of the uniform perpendicular magnetic field?
In a circular path