INTRODUCTION TO THE ELECTRIC FIELD

Consider a source charge Q and a so-called positive test charge qo

qo Q+

At every point in space, q0 will experience a force from its interaction with charge Q

The field approach may be summarized as follows:  Charge Q sets up an electric field in space around it.  The resulting field exerts a force on q0 which depends only on the position and magnitude of q0. Definition of Electric Field:

Electric field intensity: It is defined as the force per unit charge

Consider a point charge +Q at point O. If a test charge +q is situated at a distance r from Q, the test charge will experience a repulsive force directed radial outward from Q

Force on test charge

INTRODUCTION TO THE MAGNETIC FIELD Magnetic fields arise from moving electric charges It is convenient to separate these into two chief sources of magnetic field: (a) Magnetic fields due to electric currents (i.e. moving charges; i = dq/ dt) in conducting materials. (b) Fields arising from magnetic materials. In these, electron motion (orbital or spin) can lead to a net magnetic moment and a resulting magnetization.

Hans Oersted found in that a current flowing in a wire deflected a compass needle:

Note: the direction of deflection of the needle: towards west. The compass is shown below the wire, if the compass is positioned above the wire the deflection is in the opposite direction. Reversal of the current direction also causes reversal of deflection.)

Andre Ampere repeated Oersteds experiments and formulated the right hand rule.

Michael Faraday discovered electromagnetic induction,

The magnetic flux is the normal component of B integrated over surface S:

The magnetic flux has units webers. So 1 tesla = 1 weber per metre squared

The law of biot savarts states that, the magnitude of magnetic field intensity at any point is directly proportional to the current in the conductor, the length of the conductor, sine of the angle between the conductor and the line joining the conductor and the point and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the conductor and the point. The direction is perpendicular to the plane containing source and position vector of P
P dl I R

I is amps, dl & R are in metres & H is amps/metre square