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📚AP Physics 2 Unit 12 Vocabulary

55 essential vocabulary terms and definitions for Unit 12 – Magnetism and Electromagnetism

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📚Unit 12 – Magnetism and Electromagnetism
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📚Unit 12 – Magnetism and Electromagnetism

12.1 Magnetic Fields

TermDefinition
bar magnetA permanent magnet with distinct north and south poles that produces a magnetic field with closed field lines.
diamagnetismA property of all materials in which their electronic structure creates a weak alignment of dipole moments opposite to an external magnetic field.
Earth's magnetic fieldThe magnetic field generated by Earth that can be approximated as a magnetic dipole field.
external magnetic fieldA magnetic field applied to a material from an outside source.
ferromagnetic materialMaterials such as iron, nickel, and cobalt that can be permanently magnetized by an external field through alignment of magnetic domains.
free spaceA vacuum or empty space with a constant value of electric permittivity denoted as ε₀.
induced magnetismA system property resulting from the alignment of magnetic dipoles within a material in response to an external magnetic field.
magnetic dipoleA pair of equal and opposite magnetic poles that together produce a magnetic field.
magnetic domainRegions within a ferromagnetic material where atomic magnetic dipoles are aligned in the same direction.
magnetic fieldA vector field that exerts a force on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials.
magnetic field lineLines used to represent the direction and strength of a magnetic field; they form closed loops and never begin or end.
magnetic forceThe force exerted by a magnetic field on a moving electric charge, electric current, or magnetic material.
magnetic monopoleA hypothetical isolated magnetic charge that does not exist in nature; magnetic fields are only produced by dipoles.
magnetic permeabilityA measurement of the amount of magnetization in a material in response to an external magnetic field.
magnetic poleThe regions at the ends of a magnetic dipole where magnetic field lines emerge (north pole) or enter (south pole).
magnetizationThe process by which a material becomes magnetized in response to an external magnetic field.
north poleThe end of a magnetic dipole from which magnetic field lines point outward.
paramagnetic materialMaterials such as aluminum, titanium, and magnesium that interact weakly with an external magnetic field and do not retain alignment after the field is removed.
permanent magnetismA system property resulting from the alignment of magnetic dipoles within a material that persists without an external magnetic field.
south poleThe end of a magnetic dipole to which magnetic field lines return.
vacuum permeabilityThe constant value of magnetic permeability in free space, represented by the symbol μ₀, that appears in equations representing physical relationships.
vector fieldA representation of a field where each point in space is assigned a vector quantity, such as direction and magnitude.
vector field mapA visual representation showing vectors at various points in space to illustrate the magnitude and direction of a field quantity.

12.2 Magnetism and Moving Charges

TermDefinition
chargeA fundamental property of matter that can be positive or negative, determining how objects interact electromagnetically.
charged objectAn object that possesses electric charge and can interact with electric and magnetic fields.
conductorA material through which electric charge can move, with resistivity that typically increases with temperature.
electric fieldA vector quantity that represents the electric force per unit charge exerted at a given point in space, originating from charged objects.
Hall effectThe phenomenon in which a potential difference is created across a conductor when an external magnetic field perpendicular to the direction of charge motion is applied.
magnetic fieldA vector field that exerts a force on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials.
magnetic forceThe force exerted by a magnetic field on a moving electric charge, electric current, or magnetic material.
perpendicularAt a 90-degree angle; the magnetic field direction is perpendicular to both the velocity vector and the position vector from the charged object.
position vectorA vector drawn from a moving charged object to a point in space, used to determine the magnetic field direction at that point.
right-hand ruleA method for determining the direction of magnetic force, current, or magnetic field using the orientation of the right hand.
velocityThe rate and direction of motion of a charged object, which affects the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field it produces.

12.3 Magnetism and Current-Carrying Wires

TermDefinition
concentric circleCircles that share the same center point, used to represent the geometry of magnetic field lines around a straight wire.
current-carrying loopA circular or closed path through which electric current flows, producing a magnetic field along its axis.
current-carrying wireA conductor through which electric current flows, producing a magnetic field around it.
magnetic fieldA vector field that exerts a force on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials.
magnetic field vectorArrows representing the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field at specific points in space.
magnetic forceThe force exerted by a magnetic field on a moving electric charge, electric current, or magnetic material.
perpendicular distanceThe shortest distance from a point to a line or surface, measured at a right angle.
right-hand ruleA method for determining the direction of magnetic force, current, or magnetic field using the orientation of the right hand.
vector additionThe mathematical process of combining two or more vectors to find a resultant vector, used to determine net magnetic fields from multiple sources.

12.4 Electromagnetic Induction and Faraday's Law

TermDefinition
area vectorA vector perpendicular to a surface with magnitude equal to the surface's area, used to calculate magnetic flux.
conducting railParallel conductors that form a track along which a conducting rod can move in a magnetic field to generate an induced emf.
conducting rodA rod made of material that allows electric current to flow freely, used in electromagnetic induction applications.
cross-sectional areaThe area of a cross-section of a conductor, which is inversely proportional to its resistance.
Faraday's lawThe principle that an induced emf in a circuit is proportional to the rate of change of magnetic flux through the circuit.
induced electric potential differenceThe voltage generated in a conductor or circuit due to a change in magnetic flux through it.
induced emfThe electromotive force generated in a conductor or circuit due to a changing magnetic flux.
Lenz's lawThe principle that an induced emf creates a current whose magnetic field opposes the change in magnetic flux that produced it.
magnetic fieldA vector field that exerts a force on moving electric charges, electric currents, and magnetic materials.
magnetic fluxA measure of the amount of magnetic field passing through a surface, proportional to the perpendicular component of the magnetic field and the cross-sectional area.
right-hand ruleA method for determining the direction of magnetic force, current, or magnetic field using the orientation of the right hand.
uniform magnetic fieldA magnetic field that has the same magnitude and direction at all points in a region of space.