An important distinction exists between the electric field induced by a changing magnetic field and the electrostatic field produced by a fixed charge distribution. Specifically, the induced electric field is nonconservative because it does not work in moving a charge over a closed path. In contrast, the electrostatic field is conservative and does no net work over a closed path. Hence, electric potential can be associated with the electrostatic field but not the induced field. The following...

The fact that emfs are induced in circuits implies that work is being done on the conduction electrons in the wires. What can possibly be the source of this work? We know that it’s neither a battery nor a magnetic field, as a battery does not have to be present in a circuit where current is induced, and magnetic fields never do any work on moving charges. The source of the work is in fact an electric field that is induced in the wires. For example, if a stationary conductor is placed in a...

The concept of flux describes how much of something goes through a given area. More formally, it is the dot product of a vector field within an area. For a better understanding, consider an open rectangular surface with a small area that is placed in a uniform electric field. The larger the area, the more field lines go through it and, hence, the greater the flux; similarly, the stronger the electric field (represented by a greater density of lines), the greater the flux. On the other hand, if...

Electric fields generated by static charges, often referred to as electrostatic fields, are characteristically different from electric fields created by time-varying magnetic fields. While the former is a conservative field, implying that no net work is done on a test charge if it goes around in a complete loop in the field, the latter is, by definition, not a conservative field; net work is done, and it is proportional to the rate of change of magnetic flux.
However, the observation of Gauss's...

Magnetic flux depends on three factors: the strength of the magnetic field, the area through which the field lines pass, and the field's orientation with respect to the surface area. If any of these quantities vary, a corresponding variation in magnetic flux occurs. If the area through which the magnetic field lines are passing changes, then the magnetic flux also changes. This change in the area can be of two types: the flux through the rectangular loop increases as it moves into the magnetic...

A moving charge or a current creates a magnetic field in the surrounding space, in addition to its electric field. The magnetic field exerts a force on any other moving charge or current that is present in the field. Like an electric field, the magnetic field is also a vector field. At any position, the direction of the magnetic field is defined as the direction in which the north pole of a compass needle points.
A magnetic field is defined by the force that a charged particle experiences...