Electromagnetism Notes

1 – Magnetic Fields
Magnets can _________________ or _______________ other magnets.
They are able to exert forces on each other without touching because they are surrounded by
____________________ _________________.

Magnetic Flux refers to…

Areas with many lines have __________________ magnetic field.

Magnets have two different ends called ___________________, either as_________________ (N) or
___________________ (S).

S N S N
N

S
S N N S

N S
N N

S N
S S
It is important to note that magnetic fields are ____________________ and therefore we need to represent the
lines as…

In fact we define the direction of a magnetic field as …

We can sum up the behaviour of

interacting magnetic fields:

N S (1)

(2)

This is very much like electric charges; however there is a very important difference between these two.
Electric charges can be…

Whereas magnetic poles…

Consider a compass:

A compass is useful because its needle always points north. This is because the needle is a ________________
and so is ______________.

Yeah fine but WHY does it point north?

Well, the north pole of the compass will…

Well that’s all very well for magnetism, but where does the electro come in?

It turns out that any….

In fact a current carrying wire will have a very regular

magnetic field around it as predicted by the:

1st Right Hand Rule:

Thumb:

Fingers:
Often we will represent a current carrying wire simply as though you were looking at it end on. In this case we
simply draw it as a circle. To indicate the direction of current flow we draw a ____ if it is in to the page and a
____ if it is out of the page.

If it helps to remember which is which think of an ________________!

Below shows current carrying wires (lines) and compasses (circles). Draw arrows to show
which direction the compasses will point.

+ - + -

- + - +
Note that the compass always points…

Domains:
We have seen that the movement of electrons can create a magnetic field, but how does this
apply to permanent magnets like bar magnets?
Certain metals (iron, nickel and cobalt) have…

In a piece of these metals the spins of unpaired electrons align in areas called domains. In an
unmagnetized piece of metal the domains are lined up randomly. A magnet is created when
these domains are aligned in one direction.
Solenoids: aka _____________________
A solenoid is simply…

The many loops of wire each carry current and therefore…

The 2nd Right Hand Rule:

Fingers: Thumb:
Note when using any right hand rules that…

Just as with a bar magnet a solenoid has…

Note from the diagram that the field outside of a solenoid is _____________ and ______ _______________
especially if its ________________ is much greater than its _____________.

However the magnetic field inside the solenoid is ________________ and _________________________.

In a uniform magnetic field INSIDE a solenoid we can calculate the strength of the field using:

Where : B=
=
I =
n=

Example:
A hollow solenoid is 25 cm long and has 1000 loops. If the solenoid has a diameter of 4.0 cm and a current of
9.0 A what is the magnetic field in the solenoid?
 Electromagnetism Notes
2 – Magnetic Forces on Wires and Charges
With permanent magnets _______________ poles attract and ________________ poles repel.

As we have seen magnetic fields surround any…

Therefore it stands to reason that magnetic forces will act on wires carrying __________________
_____________________ and charged particles moving in ______________________ _________________.

Parallel Current Carrying Wires

Picture two parallel wires carrying current in the The same logic can be used to determine how
same direction, would the fields produced by these parallel wires containing currents the flow in the
wires attract or repel? opposite direction interact.

Parallel wires with current flowing in the same Parallel wires with current flowing in the
direction will… opposite directions will…

Current Carrying Wires in Magnetic Fields

A current carrying wire in a magnetic field will also experience…

Imagine a current carrying wire placed between two permanent magnets.

Note that above the wire both the permanent magnetic field and the field generated by the wire point…

These two fields will ____________________.

Also, below the wire the permanent magnetic field and the field generated by the wire point…

These two fields will ____________________.

The 3rd Right Hand Rule: The magnitude of the magnetic force on a conductor can be
calculated as:
Where:
B=
I=
l=
0=
Note that if the conductor is perpendicular to the magnetic field
this formula becomes:

Because…

If the conductor is parallel to the magnetic field then…

Moving Charges in Magnetic Fields

In the same way that charged particles moving through a wire will experience a force in a magnetic field, so will
free charged particles.

To determine the direction of the force on such a particle we simply use…

NOTE: We use the right hand rules for wires when talking about ____________________ ___________________
and the left hand rules for wires when talking about ________________ _______________.

We follow the same logic when dealing with charged particles:

For positive particles use… For negative particles use…

To calculate the magnetic force on the particle we use:

Where: q =
v=
B=
0=

NOTE: Just like the magnetic force on conductors this formula can be reduced to

when the particles are moving _________________ to the magnetic field.

 If a charged particle enters a magnetic field traveling Now consider a proton moving through the
perpendicular to the field, it will deflect continuously same magnetic field
and travel in a _____________________.
Consider an electron moving through a magnetic field

X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X X

Example:
Circular particle accelerators use magnetic fields to bend beams of charged particles. This allows them reach
phenomenal speeds in relatively small spaces. The cyclotron at UBC’s TRIUMF contains the largest of its kind in the
world. It accelerates a beam of hydrogen anions (H-) to 75% the speed of light and uses a 0.42 T magnetic field.
Note that at these speeds the relativistic mass of a hydrogen anion is 2.524x10-27 kg.
What is the outer radius of the cyclotron?

When charged particles

travel in a circular path:
 Electromagnetism Notes
3 – Motors and Galvanometers, CRTs and Mass Spectrometers
Motors
We have seen that a current carrying wire
perpendicular to a magnetic field will experience a
_________________.

This phenomenon is used by an electric motor to

transform ______________ energy into
______________ energy.

A simple DC motor consists of a loop of wire that

passes through a magnetic field. The ends of the
loop are attached to a split ring
(______________________) which turns with the
loop. Fixed ______________________ connect the
commutator to the voltage source.

The commutator (split ring) is important because…

Galvanometers
A galvanometer is an instrument used to detect electric current. A galvanometer calibrated to measure current is
called an ________________
while one that measures voltage is called a ___________________.

These devices also make use of the motor principle.

Essentially, a current carrying wire in a magnetic field will experience a force

proportional to the ______________________.

As shown on the right, when a current flows through the wire the needle will
experience a force. The needle is attached to a spring which provides a restorative
force. As the coil rotates against the spring a reading is produced

A galvanometer can be converted into an ammeter A galvanometer can be converted into a voltmeter
by placing a shunt (wire) of low resistance parallel by placing a shunt (wire) of high resistance in
to the coil. In other words a parallel path for series with the coil. This greatly reduces the
electrons so that only a small fraction of electrons current that flows through the meter.
flow through the coil.
 Cathode Ray Tubes

Recall from the earlier unit on electrostatics that a cathode ray

tube is used to accelerate electrons to incredible speeds and then
deflect them with electrically charged plates. Consider the
following example:

1) The electron beam is produced by accelerating electrons through an electric potential difference of 380 V.
What is the speed of the electrons as they leave the 380 V plate?

2) What is the electrostatic force on electrons in the region between the horizontal plates when they are
connected to a 9.0 V potential difference?

Determining the Mass and Charge of the Electron

Famed physicist J.J. Thompson took the cathode ray a step further. First he
set up a cathode ray tube that deflected the electron ray using a second set of
electrically charged plates (aka yoke), similar to the example above.

As expected the ray deflected towards the positive plate.

He then disconnected the current from the electric yoke and instead sent current
through an electromagnet flanking the cathode ray. He was intrigued to note that
the ray of electrons deflected downwards.

Since r and B can both be easily measured we could simply determine the speed of the electron by

Unfortunately for good old J. J., nobody knew the mass or charge of an electron. Both of which would be
needed to determine the velocity of the electron ray.

But then, he weren’t no genius for nothin’. He set up

another cathode ray that had both electromagnetic and
electrostatic yokes working in opposition to each other.

By gently calibrating the electric field between the

plates, he was able to obtain an undeflected beam as
shown:
In this case where the electrons are undeflected, we know that the electrostatic and magnetic forces are
_______________________

Or simply, ______________. This can be used to solve for the velocity of the electrons, which in turn allowed
Thompson to determine the charge to mass ratio of the electron long before either quantities were understood.

Example: What is the speed of an electron that passes Example: Charged particles traveling horizontally at
through an electric field of 6.30x103 N/C and a 3.60x106 m/s when they enter a vertical magnetic field
magnetic field of 7.11x10-3 T undeflected? Assume of 0.710 T. If the radius of their arc is 9.50x10-2 m,
the electric and magnetic fields are perpendicular to what is the charge to mass ratio of the particles?
each other.

Mass Spectrometers

Mass spectrometers can be used to determine the

mass of unknown substance or to separate similar
compounds of slightly different mass. First the
sample is vaporized and then it is bombarded with
electrons. These high energy electrons ionize the
sample by knocking loose electrons. These cations
are then accelerated by a potential difference and
then fired into a perpendicular magnetic field. This
field causes them to bend until they strike a
detector.

How can this be used to determine the mass of an

unknown sample?

In practice even a pure substance will strike the detector at multiple locations. Explain why this might occur.

Mass spectrometers can also be used to separate substances into individual isotopes. For example uranium
naturally exists as a mixture of Uranium-238 and Uranium-235. Describe how this is done. On the diagram
above, which paths (m1 or m2) would represent U-235 and U-238?
 Electromagnetism Notes
4 – Electromagnetic Induction
After scientists had discovered that an electric current can generate a magnetic field the logical question followed:
“If an electric current can generate a magnetic field, can a magnetic field generate an electric current?”
Michael Faraday and Joseph Henry independently discovered they could.

Faraday discovered many ways to induce a current. For example in the

Electromagnetic Induction:
induction coil shown below.

What was most interesting to note was that…

This showed that magnetic fields do not simply create electric currents,
rather they are only generated by…

Another example of this comes when you move a bar magnet into or out of a
hollow solenoid.

When the magnet is moved one way the current is in one direction and when
it is moved the other way the current reverses.

To predict the direction of the induced current we use Lenz’s Law:

Lenz’s Law is really an application of…

Remember that we can use the 2nd Right Hand Rule to relate the poles of an electromagnet and the direction of
current flow.

Thumb: Fingers:

As we said the electric current is generated by a…

Note that magnetic flux is
In order to calculate the EMF generated we need to use the idea of magnetic flux.
at a maximum when the
loop is…
Magnetic Flux:

And at a minimum when

For a loop of wire in a magnetic field the magnetic flux depends on:
the loop is…
(1)
(2)
(3)
Magnetic flux can be calculated by: As we said before an EMF is produced by a
Where: changing magnetic field, specifically by a changing
Φ= flux. In fact,
B=
A=
0=
2
The units of flux are Tm or the Weber (Wb) Where: N =

And the “–“ sign relates to…

Example: Example:
A square loop of wire is perpendicular to a A 1.80 diameter circular coil that contains 50 turns of wire is
1.50 T magnetic field. If each side of the perpendicular to a 0.250 T magnetic field. If the magnetic field
wire is 2.10 cm, what is the magnetic flux is reduced to zero in a time of 0.100s what is the average
through the loop? induced EMF in the coil?

Example:
A circular loop of wire radius 2.5 cm is placed in a magnetic field B = 0.020 T into the page. The field is then
reduced to 0.010 T into the page in 0.10 s.
a. What is the average induced EMF?

b. Which direction does the current flow?

 Electromagnetism Notes
5 – Moving Conductor
We have already seen that a loop rotating in a magnetic field will generate an EMF according to Faraday’s Law
( )

However when considering a conductor moving in a magnetic field it is better to consider a different form of
this equation.

For Moving Conductors:

Where:
ε=
B=
l=
v=

Derivation:

Example: Example:
A conducting rod 25.0 cm long moves perpendicular to A conducting rod 15 cm long moves at a speed of
a magnetic field (B = 0.20 T) at a speed of 1.0 m/s. 2.0 m/s perpendicular to a 0.30 T magnetic field.
Calculate the induced EMF in the rod. If the resistance of the circuit is 4.0 ohms, what is
the magnitude of the current through the circuit?

Example:A 0.75 m conducting rod is moved at 8.0 m s across a 0.25 T magnetic field along metal rails. The
electrical resistance of the system is 5.0 Ω. What are the magnitude and direction of the current through point
X?
 Electromagnetism Notes
6 – Back EMF
Devices that use mechanical energy to induce an electric current are called ________________________.
Many kinds of mechanical energy can therefore by converted into electrical energy such as in:
___________________________ and ___________________________.

Note that this works in the exact opposite manner as an electric motor.
Motor: _____________________ energy to _________________ energy
Generator: __________________ energy to _________________ energy

Notice that these generators produce __________________ current because…

Remember that to determine the direction of the current through a loop we can use ___________________
_______________ _____________ and to determine the EMF produced by a loop we can use
_____________________________ _____________ ( ).

This brings up an inherent problem with all electric motors. As we said, electric motors are basically
_________________ of ______________ rotating in a _____________________ ______________.

However, we know that whenever we rotated wires in a magnetic field we generate an ___________________
__________________.

We also know from Lenz’s Law that the Back EMF can be calculated using:
induced EMF works in the ________________
___________________. Where: Vback =
ε=
This is called:
I=
And it always works…
r=

Example: A 120 V motor draws 12 A when operating at full speed. The armature has a resistance of 6.0 ohms.
a) Find the current when the motor is initially turned on.

b) Find the back EMF when the motor reaches full speed.
Example:
The diagram shows a 0.010 kg metal rod resting on two long horizontal frictionless rails which remain 0.40 m
apart. The circuit has a resistance of 3.0 Ω and is located in a uniform 0.20 T magnetic field.

a) What is the initial acceleration of the bar?

b) What is its top speed?

Example:
The diagram below shows a pair of horizontal parallel rails 0.12 m apart with a uniform magnetic field of
0.055 T directed vertically downward between the rails. There is a glider of mass 9.5x10-2 kg across the rails.
The internal resistance of the 75 V power supply is 0.30 ohms and the electrical resistance of the rails and the
glider is negligible. Assume friction is also negligible.

a) What is the initial acceleration of the glider?

b) What is the value of the terminal velocity as limited by the back emf produced by the moving glider?
 Electromagnetism Notes
7 – Transformers
When we generate power we ramp up the voltage for transmission (up to 100 000V) and then when it arrives
at homes we ramp it back down for convenient use (120V).

Say we need to transmit a certain amount of power (P = IV)

• a high voltage means a low current.
• since power lost by the wire due to
resistance is Ploss = I2R
• low current means power loss is at a minimum

But how is this done?

To convert voltage to a higher or lower value we use a

______________________.

This is another important application of…

A transformer consists of a _______________________ coil and a ________________________ coil.

As current flows through the primary coil it produces a _________________ _________________. This
magnetic field then induces an _____________________ ________________ in the secondary coil.

Note that transformers generally only work when using

_______________ ___________________. If we use
_________________ ______________ then we need to
constantly switch the current on and off.

When a transformer increases voltage it is called a…

Note that a step up transformer has…

When a transformer decreases voltage it is called a…

A step down transformer has…

To determine the voltage change we use the following:

Where: Vp =
Vs =
Np =
Ns =

Although we may change the voltage, we must conserve _____________.

Therefore, _________________ must also be conserved. So,

Example: Example:
A step transformer is used to convert 120V to A step-up transformer has 1000 turns on its primary
1.50x104 V. If the primary coil has 24 turns, how coil and 1x105 turns on its secondary coil. If the
many turns does the secondary coil have? transformer is connected to a 120 V power line, what is
the step-up voltage?

Example:
A step-down transformer reduces the voltage from a 120 V to 12.0 V. If the primary coil has 500 turns and draws
3.00x10-2 A,
a) What is the power delivered to the secondary coil?

b) What is the current in the secondary coil?