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Magnetic Fields01:27

Magnetic Fields

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...
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Magnetic Field Lines01:19

Magnetic Field Lines

The representation of magnetic fields by magnetic field lines is very useful in visualizing the strength and direction of the magnetic field. Each of the magnetic field lines forms a closed loop. The field lines emerge from the north pole (N), loop around to the south pole (S), and continue through the bar magnet back to the north pole.
Magnetic field lines follow several hard-and-fast rules:
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Divergence and Curl of Magnetic Field01:26

Divergence and Curl of Magnetic Field

The magnetic field due to a volume current distribution given by the Biot–Savart Law can be expressed as follows:
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Magnetic Flux01:18

Magnetic Flux

The magnetic flux measures the number of magnetic field lines passing through a given surface area. The SI unit for magnetic flux is the weber (Wb). Magnetic flux is a scalar quantity. It depends on three factors: the strength of the magnetic field B, the area through which the field lines pass, and the relative orientation of the field with the surface area.
Suppose a surface is divided into elements of area dA. For each element, the component of the magnetic field that is normal to the...
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Energy In A Magnetic Field01:24

Energy In A Magnetic Field

If a magnetic field is sustained, there must be a current in a closed circuit or loop, implying some energy has been spent in creating the field. If this energy is not dissipated via the circuit's resistance, it is stored in the field.
Take an ideal inductor with zero resistance. Although it's practically impossible, assume that the coil's resistance is so small that it is practically negligible. The loss of the field's energy to dissipate thermal energy (or heat) is thus...
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Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges01:23

Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges

A stationary charge creates and interacts with the electric field, while a moving charge creates a magnetic field.
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...
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