CHAPTER 5

MAGNETISM

Noorakmar Hidayah Mohamed Hashini

Physics Lecturer
Universiti Teknologi MARA Selangor
Kampus Dengkil
43800 Dengkil
Selangor
Malaysia
5. 1 MAGNETS
 Any magnets has two ends /faces called poles, which is where the
magnetic effect is strongest.
 Magnets have two ends – poles – called north and south.
 Like poles repel; unlike poles attract.
 Do not confuse magnetic poles with electric charge!
A +ve /-ve electric charge can easily be isolated.
 But, an isolated single magnetic pole has never been observed.
If a bar magnet is cut in half, you do not obtain isolated north
and south poles. Instead, 2 new magnets are produced: each with
north (N) and south(S) poles.
5. 2 MAGNETIC FIELD

5.2.1 CONCEPT OF MAGNETIC FIELD

i. region in which a magnet placed in it would experience a force is

known as a magnetic field.
ii. The following can produce magnetic field:
(1) a permanent magnet.
(2) electric charges moving in space or in an electric
conductor.
( This means that a current flowing in a wire can
produce a magnetic field in the space surrounding the wire)

This phenomenon of a magnetic field being produced by an electric

current is known as the magnetic effect of current..
5.2.2 MAGNETIC FIELD STRENGTH,B

i. Magnetic field has strength at any point in the field. The

strength is known as the magnetic induction, magnetic flux
density or magnetic field strength.

ii. Magnetic field strength is a vector quantity.

iii. It is represented by the symbol B.

iv. B has SI unit of tesla (T).

v. An older name for tesla is weber per m2 (Wb m-2) [1 T = 1 Wb/m2]

vi. Sometimes magnetic field is expressed in gauss (G).

(1 G = 10-4 T) @( 1T = 104 G)
 
B

 The direction of a magnetic field, at any location is the

direction in which the north pole of a compass needle points
at that location.

6
5.2.3 MAGNETIC FIELD LINES

i. A magnetic field can be represented by a set of lines or curves,

which are referred to as the magnetic field lines.
ii. The magnetic field lines have the following features :
(a) they never cross each other
(b) they form closed loops.
(c) an arrow head is attached to each line. The direction of the
arrow head indicates the direction of the magnetic field
strength, B at a point on the field line. The vector representing
B at the point must be drawn as a tangent to the line.
B

Magnetic field line

(d) the closeness of the lines indicates the strength of the

field. The strength of the magnetic field is high in a region
where the no. of lines crossing unit perpendicular to the area is
large and vice versa.
(e) If the field lines are straight, parallel to each other and equally
spaced, the field represented by these field lines is a uniform
field. (it means the magnitude of the field strength is the same
at any point in the field)

Uniform magnetic field

(f) Uniform magnetic field,B pointing into or out of page.
The field that:
(i) points perpendicularly out of the page is represented by a set of
dots.

(ii) points perpendicularly into the page is represented by a set of

crosses.
X X X X X X
X X X X X X
X X X X X X
X X X X X X

(iii) If B lies in the plane of the page, we use a series of field lines
with arrowheads.
5. 3 THE MAGNETIC FORCE ON MOVING CHARGES
 A stationary charged particle doesn’t interact with a static magnetic
field.
 When a charged particle is moving through a magnetic field, however a
magnetic force acts on it.
 This force has its maximum value when the charge moves in a direction
perpendicular to the magnetic field lines, decreases in value at other
angles, and becomes zero when the particle moves along the field lines.
 The magnitude of the magnetic force, F acting on the moving charged
particle is determined by the following quantities:
(i) magnetic field strength (B)
(ii) quantity of charge carried by the particle (q)
(iii) velocity of the particle (v)
(iv) sin θ (the angle between vectors B and v).
 In other words, we have :

F = Bqvsinθ

in vector format, the equation is written as:

F = qv X B
 From the eqn., we see that the force on a charged particle moving in a magnetic
field has its maximum value when the particle’s motion is perpendicular to the
magnetic field, corresponding to θ=90°.

 F is zero when v is parallel to B (corresponding to θ=0° or 180°). So no magnetic

force is exerted on a charged particle when it moves in the direction of the
magnetic field or opposite the field.

 Direction of the magnetic force is always perpendicular to both v and B for a

positively charged particle.

 If the charge is negative rather than positive, the force is directed opposite
that obtained from the right-hand rule.

11
 Right-hand rule number 1 for determining the direction of the magnetic
force on a positive charge moving with a velocity v in a magnetic field B.

To determine the direction of the force,

we employ right hand rule #1:

1. Orient your right hand so that your

outstretched fingers point along the
direction of the particle’s velocity,v.
2. Then, bend your fingers such that
they point along the direction of B.
3. Then your thumb will point in the
direction of the magnetic force
exerted on a positive charge.

 This is true only for positively charged

particles.
 If q is negative, simply use the right-
hand rule to find the direction for
positive q and then reverse that
direction for the negative charge. 12
Notice that the force vector F shown points upwards, perpendicular to
the plane for a +ve charge while F points in the opposite direction for a –
ve charge.

13
# Difference between electric force and magnetic force:

 Electric force exerts a force on a charged particle whether it’s

moving or at rest.
 Electric force is directed parallel to the electric field.
 Magnetic force acts on a charged particle moving through a
magnetic field.
 Magnetic force on a moving charge is directed perpendicular to the
magnetic field.

14
Example 1:

A proton moves with a speed of 1.00x105 m/s through Earth’s

magnetic field, which has a value of 55.0 µT at a particular
location. When the proton moves eastward, the magnetic force
acting on it is directed straight upward, and when it moves
northward, no magnetic force acts on it.

(a) What is the direction of the magnetic field?

(b) What is the strength of the magnetic force when the
proton moves eastward?
(c) Calculate the gravitational force on the proton and compare
it with the magnetic force and with the electric force if
there were an electric field with a magnitude equal to E=150
N/C at that location. Note that the mass of the proton is
1.67x10-27 kg.

15
Solution 1:
(a) No magnetic force acts on the proton when it’s going north, so
the angle such a proton makes with the magnetic field direction
must either be 0° or 180°. Therefore, the magnetic field B
must point either north or south. Apply the right hand
rule.When the particle travels east, the magnetic force is
directed upward. Point your thumb in the direction of the force
and your fingers in the direction of the velocity eastward.
When you curl your fingers, they point north, which must
therefore be the direction of the magnetic field.
(b) Magnetic force is:
F  Bqv sin 
   
 55 x10 6 1.60 x10 19 1.00 x10 5 sin 90
 8.80 x10 19 N

(c) Gravitational force and electric force:

 
Fgrav  mg  1.67 x10 27 9.8  1.64 x10 26 N
Felec  qE  1.60 x10 1.50 x10   2.40 x10
19 2 17
N

16
Example 2:

A proton moves at
8.00x106 m/s along the x-
axis.It enters a region in
which there is a magnetic
field of magnitude 2.50 T,
directed at an angle of
60.0° with the x-axis and
lying in the xy-plane.
(a) Find the initial
magnitude and
direction of the
magnetic force on the
proton.
(b) Calculate the proton’s
initial acceleration.

17
Solution 2:

(a) Magnitude and direction of the magnetic force on the proton:

F  qvB sin 
  
 1.60 x10 19 C 8.00 x106 m / s 2.50T sin 60
F  2.77 x10 12 N

Point the fingers of the right hand in the x-direction(direction of

velocity) and then curl them toward B. The thumb points upward,
in the positive z-direction.

(b) Proton’s initial acceleration :

ma  F
1.67 x10  27

kg a  2.77 x10 12 N
a  1.66 x1015 m / s 2
18
5. 4 MOTION OF A CHARGED PARTICLE IN A MAGNETIC
FIELD
 If a charged particle is moving perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field,
its path will be a circle.
 Application of the right hand rule to the charged particle at all the points
on the circle shows that the magnetic force is always directed toward the
center of the circular path;therefore the magnetic force causes a
centripetal acceleration, which changes only the direction of v and not its
magnitude.
 From Newton’s 2nd Law, we can equate the magnitude of F=qvB to the
centripetal acceleration F produced:

mv 2
F  qvB 
r
(cyclotron equation)
mv
r
qB

 If the initial direction of the velocity of the charged particle is not

perpendicular to the magnetic field, the path followed by the particle is
a spiral(helix) along the magnetic field lines.

20
# the difference :

When the velocity of a charged particle is If the initial direction of the velocity
perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field, the of the charged particle is not
particle moves in a circle in a plane perpendicular to the magnetic field,
perpendicular to B, which is directed into the the path followed by the particle is a
page. (The crosses represent the tails of the spiral(helix) along the magnetic field
magnetic field vectors.) lines.
21
5.5 MAGNETIC FORCE ON A CURRENT-CARRYING
WIRE(CONDUCTOR) PLACED IN A MAGNETIC FIELD

Suppose a straight wire is placed in the

magnetic field .
When a current flows in the wire, a
magnetic force is exerted on the wire.
The current is a collection of many
charged particles in motion, hence the
resultant force on the wire is due to the
sum of the individual forces on the
charged particle.
Experiment shows that the direction of
the force is always perpendicular to the
direction of the current and
perpendicular tothe direction of the
magnetic field, B.
The direction of the force is given by
the same right-hand rule #1.
 Magnitude of the magnetic force acting on a conductor placed in a
magnetic field depends on :
(a) L = length of the wire exposed to the magnetic field
(assumed uniform)
(c) B = magnetic field strength of the field
(d) θ = the angle between the current direction and the magnetic field
(e) I = the constant current that flows through the wire

* Thus, the magnitude of the magnetic force on a wire carrying a current I

with length L in a uniform magnetic field is :

F = BIL sinθ

* when the current is perpendicular to the field lines (θ=90°) the force
is strongest.
* when the current is either in the direction of the field or opposite the
direction of the field,the magnetic force on the wire is zero.
24
5.5.1 RIGHT-HAND RULE #1

1) It is used to determine the direction of the force on the wire

placed in a magnetic field.
2) Orient your right hand until your outstretched fingers can point
in the direction of the conventional current,I.
3) When you bend your fingers, they point in the direction of the
magnetic field lines, B .
4) Then, your

outstretched thumb will point in the direction of the
force, F on the wire.
 5.5.2 FLEMING’S LEFT HAND RULE
Another way which can be used to relate the direction of F to the
directions of B and I is known as Fleming’s left hand rule.

• Three fingers are used to indicate the directions of the following

quantities:

(a) the thumb points in the direction of the magnetic force, F

(b) the forefinger (or index finger) points in the direction of the
magnetic field of strength B.

(c) the middle finger points in the direction of the current,I.

The thumb, index finger and middle finger are made to point in 3
mutually perpendicular directions.
Example 3:

A wire carrying a 30-A current has a length l = 12 cm between

the pole faces of a magnet at an angle θ = 60°. The magnetic
field is approximately uniform at 0.90 T. What is the magnitude
of the force on the wire?
Solution 3:
SOLUTION :

The force on 12 cm length of wire within the uniform field B is :

F = BIL sinθ = (0.90 T)(30A)(0.12m)sin 60°

= 2.8 N
Example 4:

A wire carries a current of 22.0 A from west to east. Assume

the magnetic field of earth at this location is horizontal and
directed from south to north and it has a magnitude of
0.500x10-4T.

Find the magnitude and direction of the magnetic force on a

36.0-m length of wire.

29
Solution 4:

 
F  BIl sin   0.500 x10 4 22.036.0sin 90
 3.96 x10  2 N

• With the fingers of your right hand pointing west to

east in the direction of the current, curl them north in
the direction of the magnetic field. Your thumb points
upward.

30
5.6 MAGNETIC TORQUE ON A CURRENT LOOP
i. When an electric current flows in a closed loop of
wire placed in an external magnetic field, the
magnetic force on the current can produce a torque.

ii. Current flows through the rectangular loop whose

face we assume is parallel to B.

iii. B exerts no force and no torque on the horizontal

segments (side b) of the wire because they are
parallel to the field and sinθ=0.

iv. But the magnetic field does exert a force 

on each

of the vertical sections of wire which is F 1 and F 2
.
v. These forces give rise to a net torque that acts to
rotate the coil about its vertical axis.
Lets calculate the magnitude of this torque!
 From eqn. F = BIL sin θ,
the forces acting on the vertical sections is F = IaB,
where a is the length of the vertical arm of the coil.

 The lever arm for each force is b/2,

where b is the width of the coil and the axis is at the midpoint.

 The total torque is the sum of the two torques produced by each forces :
b b
  IaB  IaB  IabB  IAB
2 2
where A =ab is the area of the coil.

If the coil consists of N loops of wire, the current is then NI, so the torque
becomes :
  NIAB

(This result is valid only when the magnetic field is parallel to the plane
of the loop)
 If the field makes an angle θ with a line perpendicular to the plane of the
loop, the forces are unchanged, but each lever arm is reduced from 1/2b
to 1/2bsinθ.

 The angle,θ is the angle between B and the perpendicular to the face of
the coil. So the torque on a coil with N turns becomes :

  NIAB sin 

* This formula is valid for any shape of the loop.

The torque has the maximum value BIA when the field is parallel to the
plane of the loop (θ=90°) and is zero when the field is perpendicular to
the plane of the loop(θ=0°).
 The quantity µ =IAN is the magnitude of a vector µ called the
magnetic moment of the coil.
* vector µ always points perpendicular to the plane of the loop(s).
* the thumb of the right hand points in the direction ofµ.
* fingers of the right hand point in the direction of the current.
*θ lies between the directions of the magnetic moment,µ and the
magnetic field,B.
* The magnetic torque can be written as :

  B sin 

* the torque is always perpendicular to both the magnetic

moment,µ and the magnetic field,B.

34
Example 5:

A circular coil of wire has a diameter of 20.0 cm and contains 10

loops. The current in each loop is 3.00 A, and the coil is placed in
a 2.00-T external magnetic field. Determine the maximum and
minimum torque exerted on the coil by the field.
 Solution 5:

The area of one loop of the coil is :

A  r   0.100m  3.14 x10 2 m 2

2 2

The maximum torque occurs when the coil’s face is parallel to the
magnetic field, so θ=90° and sin 90°=1.

  NIAB sin   10 3.00 A3.14 x10 2 m 2 2.00T 1  1.88 N .m

The minimum torque occurs when sin θ=0, and then

  NIAB sin   0
Example 6:
A circular wire loop of radius 1.00 m is placed in a magnetic field of
magnitude 0.500T. The normal to the plane of the loop makes an
angle of 30.0° with the magnetic field(Fig a). The current in the loop
is 2.00A in the direction shown. (a) Find the magnetic moment of the
loop and the magnitude of the torque at this instant.(b) The same
current is carried by the rectangular 2.00-m by 3.00-m coil with
three loops shown in Fig.(b).Find the magnetic moment of the coil
and the magnitude of the torque acting on the coil at that instant.

37
Solution 6:
(a) Magnetic moment of the circular loop and magnetic torque
exerted on it:

A  r 2   1.00   3.14m 2
2

  IAN  2.00 3.14 1  6.28 A.m 2

  B sin   6.280.500 sin 30  1.57 N .m

(b) Magnetic moment of the rectangular coil and magnetic torque

exerted on it:

A  LxH  2.00 3.00   6.00m 2

  IAN  2.00 6.00 3  36.0 A.m 2
  B sin   36.00.500 sin 30  9.00 N .m

38
 5.7 MAGNETIC FIELD OF A LONG STRAIGHT WIRE
Consider a very long,straight thin conductor. A constant current
flowing through it would produce a stable magnetic field in the free
space surrounding the conductor. The pattern of the field consists of
magnetic field lines which form concentric circles around the
conductor.
 Right-hand rule number 2 for determining the direction of the
magnetic field due to a long, straight wire carrying a current.

We use right hand rule #2 to

determine the magnetic field
direction.

i. Grasp the wire with your right

hand so that your thumb points
in the direction of the
conventional (+ve) current.

ii. Then your fingers will encircle

the wire in the direction of the
magnetic field.
Suppose that a current I flows in the long, straight conductor placed in free
space.Then the magnitude of the magnetic field strength B at a point at
perpendicular distance r from the conductor is given by:

Magnetic field,B due to a long straight

wire at a point near it is directly
0 I proportional to the current,I in the wire
B and inversely proportional to the
2r distance,r from the wire.

where μ0 is a proportionality constant known as the permeability of

free space. The constant has a value of 4π X 10-7 H/m @ T.m/A.

• This formula is applicable only if the conductor is:

1. very long
2. straight
3. thin so that its diameter is negligible
4. placed in free space(without any materials around the
conductor to influence the magnetic field produced by the
current)
 0 I
B
2r

42
5.8 AMPERE’S LAW
 Ampere's law is a mathematical statement of the relationship between
currents and the magnetic fields they generate
The magnetic field in space around an electric current is proportional to
the electric current which serves as its source, just as the electric
field in space is proportional to the charge which serves as its source.

Ampere's Law states that for any closed loop path, the sum of the
length elements times the magnetic field in the direction of the length
element is equal to the permeability times the net current that passes
through the surface bounded by the closed path.

 B|| l  0 I
5.9 MAGNETIC FORCE BETWEEN TWO PARALLEL
WIRES(CONDUCTORS)
Consider 2 long parallel wires separated by a
distance d.
They carry currents I1 & I2 respectively.
Each current produces magnetic field that is felt
by the other,so each must exert a force on the
other.

Magnitude of magnetic force acting on a length L2

of wire 2 is:
 0 I1 I 2
F2  l2
2d
In this calculation, we are finding the force on wire 2 due to the
magnetic field of wire 1.

- The magnetic field B1 produced by I1 at the location of wire 2

is:
0 I1
B1 
2d

- The force F2 exerted by B1 on wire 2, carrying current I2 is:

F2  I 2 B1l2
- The force on wire 2 is due only to the field produced by I1. Of
course, I2 also produces a field, but it does not exert a force on
itself. Substitute B1 into the formula for F2 to find the force on
wire 2 to get:
 0 I1 I 2
F2  l2
2d

45
* CURRENTS IN THE SAME * CURRENTS IN OPPOSITE
DIRECTION DIRECTION

 Current flows in each conductor

and the direction of current  The direction of current in one
flow in one conductor is the conductor is opposite to the
same as that in the other direction of current in the other
conductor. conductor.
 In this arrangement will attract  The conductors repel each other by
each other by magnetic force. magnetic force.
5.10 MAGNETIC FIELD OF CURRENT LOOPS &
SOLENOIDS
5.10.1 CURRENT LOOPS

 The strength of a magnetic field produced by a

wire can be enhanced by forming the wire into a
loop.
 All the segments, Δx, contribute to the field,
increasing its strength.

 The magnetic field lines for a current loop resemble those of a bar
magnet.
 One side of the loop acts as a north pole and the other side acts as a
south pole.
The magnitude of the magnetic field at the center of a circular loop
with a radius R and carrying current I is

With N loops in the coil, this becomes

48
5.10.2 SOLENOID

i. If a long straight wire is bent into a coil of several closely spaced loops,
the resulting device is a solenoid.
ii. The magnetic field inside a solenoid increases with the current and is
proportional to the no. of coils per unit length.
i. The previous figure shows the magnetic field lines of a loosely
wound solenoid of length L and total no. of N turns(loops).
ii. The field lines inside the solenoid are nearly parallel, uniformly
spaced and close together.
iii. As a result, the filed inside the solenoid is strong and
approximately uniform.
iv. The exterior field at the sides of the solenoid is nonuniform,
much weaker than the interior field,& opposite in direction to the
field inside the solenoid.
v. 1 end of the solenoid acts as north pole and the other end acts as
a south pole.
vi. The more widely separated the field lines are, the weaker the
field.This is in contrast to a much stronger field inside the
solenoid where the lines are close together.
vii. The field inside the solenoid has a constant magnitude at all
points far from its ends.
viii. Hence, the magnitude of the magnetic field inside a solenoid is:
B = μonI
where : n = N/L is the no. of turns per unit length of the solenoid
Example 7:

A thin 10-cm-long solenoid used for fast electromechanical

switching has a total of 400 turns of wire and carries a
current of 2.0 A. Calculate the field inside near the center.
Solution 7:

From B = μonI

no. of turns per unit length , n = N/L

= 400/ 0.10m = 4.0 x 103 m-1

  
B  4x10 7 T .m / A 4.0 x10 3 m 1 2.0 A  1.0 x10 2 T
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