Magnetic Dipole Moment

Claimed by Guillermo Bacardi

The magnetic dipole moment of a loop of current may be considered to be a measure of the strength of the magnetic field. The magnetic field generated by a magnet points from south to north and is proportional to its magnetic dipole moment. In a loop of current the magnetic dipole moment is a vector that is perpendicular to the loop and can be found using the right-hand-rule. The magnetic dipole moment is a measure of the strength of the magnetic dipole.

The Main Idea

The main idea for this topic is to define the magnetic dipole moment and distinguish from the magnetic moment. The magnetic moment is a vector quantity that is used to calculate the torque generated by a magnetic field while the magnetic dipole moment is a value used to define the current of a loop to find the magnetic field on axis.

A Mathematical Model

The magnetic dipole moment is represented by µ. This is set equal to the current running through the wire multiplied by the area of the circular loop. Here the area of the circular loop is defined as πR^2. The units for the magnetic dipole moment are amperes times meters squared.

[math]\displaystyle{ \boldsymbol{\mu} = \boldsymbol{I} \times\mathbf{A} }[/math]

If there is more than one coil in the loop then all of the coils must be accounted for by a value N that represents all of the coils.

[math]\displaystyle{ \boldsymbol{\mu} = \boldsymbol{NI} \times\mathbf{A} }[/math]

The overall equation for a magnetic field turns into

[math]\displaystyle{ \mathbf{B} = \frac{\mu_0}{4\pi}\frac{2\mu}{R^3} }[/math]

A Computational Model

This image shows how the magnetic field around a loop changes at each location but on axis with the center of the loop it points in one direction.

Examples

Simple

What is the magnetic dipole moment of a 1200 turn circular coil that has a radius of 10 cm and carries a current of 2 amperes?

Solution: µ=NIA N=1200 I = 2 A = π0.1^2

       So µ = (1200)(2)(0.0314) = 75.4 Am^2

Difficult

What is the magnetic field at a point 3m away from a coil that has 250 turns, a radius of 2m and a current of 4 amperes running through it?

First step is to calculate the dipole moment using µ=NIA. In this situation N=250, A = 4^2π, and I=4. (250)(4π)(4)= 12566.4Am^2

Then plug this into our magnetic field equation [math]\displaystyle{ \mathbf{B} = \frac{\mu_0}{4\pi}\frac{2\mu}{R^3} }[/math] and we get

B = 1e-7((2*12566.4)/9) which gives us B=1.4e-4

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History

The study of magnetism dates far back in time but it was not until 1825 that Andre Ampere showed that magnetism is due to perpetually flowing current through loops of wire.

See also

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