| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| bar magnet | A permanent magnet with distinct north and south poles that produces closed-loop magnetic field lines. |
| diamagnetism | A property of all materials in which their electronic structure creates a usually weak alignment of dipole moments opposite to an external magnetic field. |
| external magnetic field | A magnetic field applied to a material from an outside source. |
| ferromagnetic materials | Materials such as iron, nickel, and cobalt that can be permanently magnetized by an external field through alignment of magnetic domains or atomic magnetic dipoles. |
| free space | A region of space with no matter, having a constant magnetic permeability value. |
| Gauss's law for magnetism | Maxwell's second equation stating that magnetic field lines form closed loops and there are no magnetic monopoles. |
| induced magnetism | A system property resulting from the alignment of magnetic dipoles within a material caused by an external magnetic field. |
| magnetic dipole | A system with a north and south magnetic pole that results from the circular or rotational motion of electric charges, such as moving electrons in atoms. |
| magnetic domains | Regions within ferromagnetic materials where atomic magnetic dipoles are aligned in the same direction. |
| magnetic field | A vector field that determines the magnetic force exerted on moving electric charges, electric currents, or magnetic materials. |
| magnetic field lines | Lines that represent the direction and strength of a magnetic field, forming closed loops that never begin or end. |
| magnetic force | The force exerted on a moving charged particle or current-carrying conductor in the presence of a magnetic field. |
| magnetic monopole | A hypothetical isolated magnetic charge that does not exist in nature; magnetic fields are always produced by dipoles. |
| magnetic permeability | A property of a material that describes how easily a magnetic field can be established within it; affects the inductance of a solenoid. |
| magnetic poles | The regions at the ends of a magnetic dipole where magnetic effects are strongest; poles of the same polarity repel while opposite poles attract. |
| magnetization | The process by which a material becomes magnetized or the degree to which a material is magnetized in response to an external magnetic field. |
| Maxwell's equations | A collection of four fundamental equations that fully describe electromagnetism and the behavior of electric and magnetic fields. |
| north pole | One end of a magnetic dipole from which external magnetic field lines point away. |
| paramagnetic materials | Materials 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 magnetism | A system property resulting from the alignment of magnetic dipoles within a material that persists without an external magnetic field. |
| south pole | One end of a magnetic dipole to which external magnetic field lines return. |
| vacuum permeability | The constant value of magnetic permeability in free space, denoted as μ₀, that appears in equations representing physical relationships. |
| vector field | A field in which each point in space is associated with a vector quantity, such as a magnetic field. |
| vector field map | A representation of a vector field showing the magnitude and direction of the field at various points in space. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| charged object | An object that possesses electric charge and can experience forces from electric and magnetic fields. |
| conductor | A material that allows electric charge to move through it, with resistivity that typically increases with temperature. |
| cross-product | A mathematical operation between two vectors that produces a third vector perpendicular to both, with magnitude equal to the product of their magnitudes and the sine of the angle between them. |
| Hall effect | The phenomenon where a potential difference is created across a conductor perpendicular to both the direction of current flow and an applied magnetic field. |
| Lorentz force | The force exerted on a moving charged object by a magnetic field, given by F_B = q(v × B). |
| magnetic field | A vector field that determines the magnetic force exerted on moving electric charges, electric currents, or magnetic materials. |
| moving charged object | An object possessing electric charge that is in motion, producing a magnetic field in the surrounding space. |
| perpendicular | At a 90-degree angle; the magnetic field direction is perpendicular to both the velocity vector and position vector of a moving charged object. |
| position vector | A vector drawn from a moving charged object to a point in space, used to determine the direction and magnitude of the magnetic field at that point. |
| right-hand rule | A method for determining the direction of the magnetic field produced by a moving charged object by pointing the thumb in the direction of velocity and curling fingers to show the field direction. |
| velocity | The rate and direction of motion of an object. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Biot-Savart law | A fundamental law that defines the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field created by a small segment of electrical current. |
| circular loop of wire | A wire bent into a circular shape through which current flows, creating a magnetic field with specific properties at its center. |
| concentric circles | Circles that share the same center point; the magnetic field lines around a current-carrying wire form concentric circles centered on the wire. |
| current-carrying wire | A conductor through which electric current flows, creating a magnetic field in the surrounding space. |
| magnetic field | A vector field that determines the magnetic force exerted on moving electric charges, electric currents, or magnetic materials. |
| magnetic field vectors | Arrows representing the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field at specific points in space around a current-carrying wire. |
| magnetic force | The force exerted on a moving charged particle or current-carrying conductor in the presence of a magnetic field. |
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ampère's law | A fundamental equation that relates the magnitude of the magnetic field to the electric current enclosed by a closed imaginary path. |
| Amperian loop | A closed imaginary path drawn around a current-carrying conductor used to apply Ampère's law. |
| changing electric field | A time-varying electric field that generates a magnetic field according to Maxwell's equations. |
| conductive cylinder | A cylindrical conductor carrying current to which Ampère's law can be applied to determine the magnetic field. |
| current density | The amount of electric current flowing per unit cross-sectional area of a conductor; a vector quantity. |
| current-carrying wire | A conductor through which electric current flows, creating a magnetic field in the surrounding space. |
| electric current | The flow of electric charge through a conductor, which generates a magnetic field. |
| magnetic field | A vector field that determines the magnetic force exerted on moving electric charges, electric currents, or magnetic materials. |
| Maxwell's addition | The modification to Ampère's law stating that a changing electric field creates a magnetic field in addition to the magnetic field created by electric current. |
| Maxwell's equations | A collection of four fundamental equations that fully describe electromagnetism and the behavior of electric and magnetic fields. |
| moving charge carrier | An electric charge in motion that generates a magnetic field around it. |
| principle of superposition | The principle that the total electric field is the vector sum of fields produced by individual charges. |
| solenoid | A coil of wire wound in a tight, helical pattern that produces a uniform magnetic field when current flows through it. |