Lecture 15.

Magnetic Fields of Moving Charges and Currents

Outline:

Magnetic Field of a Moving Charge.
Magnetic Field of Currents.
Interaction between Two Wires with Current.
1
Lecture 14:

Hall Effect.
Magnetic Force on a Wire Segment.
Torque on a Current-Carrying Loop.
Magnetic Field of a Moving Charge
2
Positive charge moving with a constant velocity :
velocity directed
into the plane of
the page

0
= 4 10
7

2

=

0
4

2
=

0
4

2
=
1

0

the speed of light
the "magnetic constant"
(commonly called vacuum
permeability)
- a glimpse of a deep
substructure connecting E and B
Example: a charge of 10 nC is moving in a straight line at 30 m/s.
What is the max magnitude of B produced by the charge at a point
10 cm from its path? What is the max magnitude of E?

=

0
4

2
= 10
7
10
8
30
0.1
2
= 3 10
12

=
1
4
0

2
10
10
10
8
0.1
2
= 10
4
/

=
0

0
=

2

- charge at the origin
Magnetic Force as a Relativistic Correction to the Electric Force
3
In general, electrical repulsion + magnetic attraction.

=
1
4
0

2

Charges at rest (the proton ref. frame),
only electric force (repulsion):
Charges in motion (the lab. ref. frame, primed), both F
E
and F
B
:

According to the special theory of relativity:

=
1

- force in the lab reference frame

- force in the proton reference frame

=
1

1
4
0

=
1

1
4
0

2
=

2
1
4
0

2
=

0
4

2
=

=
1
4
0

2

Magnetic force could be regarded as a relativistic correction to the electrical force.

=
1
1

1
In the lab ref. frame:
Magnetic Field of Currents
4
=

0
4

3
=

0
4

2

- current density,

- current segment

=

0
4

3

1820 first observation of the
magnetic field due to currents
The charge of carriers in a wire segment :

=

=

The current: = =

=

0
4

3
=

0
4

3

Superposition:

Assuming the
current segment
is at the origin:
The magnetic field
of a wire loop with
current:

=

0

2

The magnetic field at a distance r from a
straight wire with current :
- proportional to 1/
2
, as an electric
field of a point charge
- proportional to 1/, as E(r) of an infinite charged wire
Magnetic Field of a Straight Wire Segment
5
Find at a distance from a straight wire segment carrying .
= 0 =

0
4

3




90 +

Lets choose the origin at the point where we measure ( = 0):
We need to express

and in terms of and : = tan =

1
cos
2

=

cos

sin 90 + =

cos =

cos
2

z =

2

cos
2

=

0
4


2

cos
2

1
cos
3

3
=

0

4
cos

1
=

0

4
sin
2
sin
1

Magnetic field of an infinitely long straight wire (
2
=

2
,
1
=

2
):
=

0

2


Example: Magnetic field of a square loop with current at the center
of the loop (
2
=

4
,
1
=

4
):
=

= 4

4/2
2sin

4
=
4
0

2



(the r-dependence resembles that for E(r) of an infinite charged wire)
= 0
Electrostatics vs. Magnetostatics

0

Elementary source of the
static E field: point charge
(zero-dimensional object,
scalar)
Elementary source of the static B
field: current segment (one-
dimensional object, vector)
Gauss Law:
- valid in electrodynamics!

=
0
=

0

2

In magnetostatics, currents are the only
source of the non-zero circulation of B. This
will be modified in electrodynamics.
For a loop that doesnt enclose
any current, the circulation is 0.
circulation of the field B
along the loop

= 0
- valid in electrostatics
only(!), will be modified in
electrodynamics.


1

= 0
Absence of
magnetic
monopoles:
- valid in electrodynamics!
Problem
7
=

0

2
+

4
=

0

4
2 +

Superposition: the field at point a is a superposition of three fields produced by
the current in the semi-circle and two straight wires.
Consider a wire bent in the hairpin shape. The
wire carries a current . What is the approximate
magnitude of the magnetic field at point a?



Semi-circle:
=

0

4
cos

2
=0

1
=/2
=

0

4
sin0 sin /2 =

0

4

=

0
4

3
=

0
4

3
=

0

4

Top wire:
(1/2 of the field of an infinite wire)
Bottom wire: =

0

4
cos

2
=/2

1
=0
=

0

4

Magnetic Field of a Circular Loop with Current
8
=

0
4

3

Lets place the origin at the center of the
loop and introduce two angles: and .
= , 0 2
=

2
+
2

=
2
+
2

A wire loop with current has a shape of a
circle of radius a. Find the magnetic field at
a distance x from its center along the axis of
symmetry.

=

0
4

2
+
2
=

0
4

2
+
2 3/2

2
0
=

0
2


2

2
+
2 3/2

The field at the center of the loop (x=0):
0 =

0

component is zero due to the symmetry.

For N turns with current, the field is N times stronger.

Interaction between Two Wires with Current
9
=

0

1
2

=
2
=

0

2
2





Force per unit length:
Parallel (anti-parallel) currents attract (repel) each other.
- the magnetic field due to

1
at the position of the
wire with
2

10
Next time: Lecture 16: Amperes Law.
28.6- 28.8