ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

Chapter 1. Electric Fields

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Triboelectric Effect
1.3 Experiments with Pith Balls
1.4 Experiments with a Gold-leaf Electroscope
1.5 Coulomb’s Law
1.6 Electric Field E
1.6.1 Field of a Point Charge
1.6.2 Spherical Charge Distributions
1.6.3 A Long, Charged Rod
1.6.4 Field on the Axis of and in the Plane of a Charged Ring
1.6.5 Field on the Axis of a Uniformly Charged Disc
1.6.6 Field of a Uniformly Charged Infinite Plane Sheet
1.7 Electric Field D
1.8 Flux
1.9 Gauss’s Theorem

Chapter 2. Electrostatic Potential

2.1 Introduction
2.2 Potential Near Various Charged Bodies
2.2.1 Point Charge
2.2.2 Spherical Charge Distributions
2.2.3 Long Charged Rod
2.2.4 Large Plane Charged Sheet
2.2.5 Potential on the Axis of a Charged Ring
2.2.6 Potential in the Plane of a Charged Ring
2.2.7 Potential on the Axis of a Charged Disc
2.3 Electron-volts
2.4 A Point Charge and an Infinite Conducting Plane
2.5 A Point Charge and a Conducting Sphere
2.6 Two Semicylindrical Electrodes

Chapter 3. Dipole and Quadrupole Moments

3.1 Introduction
3.2 Mathematical Definition of Dipole Moment
3.3 Oscillation of a Dipole in an Electric Field
3.4 Potential Energy of a Dipole in an Electric Field
3.5 Force on a Dipole in an Inhomogeneous Electric Field
 3.6 Induced Dipoles and Polarizability
3.7 The Simple Dipole
3.8 Quadrupole Moment
3.9 Potential at a Large Distance from a Charged Body

Chapter 4. Batteries, Resistors and Ohm’s Law

4.1 Introduction
4.2 Resistance and Ohm’s Law
4.3 Resistance and Temperature
4.4 Resistors in Series
4.5 Conductors in Parallel
4.6 Dissipation of Energy
4.7 Electromotive Force and Internal Resistance
4.8 Power Delivered to an External Resistance
4.9 Potential Divider
4.10 Ammeters and Voltmeters
4.11 Wheatstone Bridge
4.12 Delta-Star Transform
4.13 Kirchhoff’s Rules
4.14 Tortures for the Brain
4.15 Solutions, Answers or Hints to 4.14
4.16 Attenuators

Chapter 5. Capacitors

5.1 Introduction
5.2 Plane Parallel Capacitor
5.3 Coaxial Cylindrical Capacitor
5.4 Concentric Spherical Capacitor
5.5 Capacitors in Parallel
5.6 Capacitors in Series
5.7 Delta-Star Transform
5.8 Kirchhoff’s Rules
5.9 Problem for a Rainy Day
5.10 Energy Stored in a Capacitor
5.11 Energy Stored in an Electric Field
5.12 Force Between the Plates of a Plane Parallel Plate Capacitor
5.13 Sharing a Charge Between Two Capacitors
5.14 Mixed Dielectrics
5.15 Changing the Distance Between the Plates of a Capacitor
5.16 Inserting a Dielectric into a Capacitor
5.17 Polarization and Susceptibility
5.18 Discharging a Capacitor Through a Resistor
5.19 Charging a Capacitor Through a Resistor
5.20 Real Capacitors
Chapter 6. The Magnetic Effect of an Electric Current

6.1 Introduction
6.2 Definition of the Amp
6.3 Definition of the Magnetic Field
6.4 The Biot-Savart Law
6.5 Magnetic Field Near a Long, Straight, Current-carrying Conductor
6.6 Field on the Axis and in the Plane of a Plane Circular Current-carrying Coil
6.7 Helmholtz Coils
6.8 Field on the Axis of a Long Solenoid
6.9 The Magnetic Field H
6.10 Flux
6.11 Ampère’s Theorem

Chapter 7. Force on a Current in a Magnetic Field

7.1 Introduction
7.2 Force Between Two Current-carrying Wires
7.3 The Permeability of Free Space
7.4 Magnetic Moment
7.5 Magnetic Moment of a Plane, Current-carrying Coil
7.6 Period of Oscillation of a Magnet or a Coil in an External Magnetic Field
7.7 Potential Energy of a Magnet or a Coil in a Magnetic Field
7.8 Moving-coil Ammeter
7.9 Magnetogyric Ratio

Chapter 8. On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies

8.1 Introduction
8.2 Charged Particle in an Electric Field
8.3 Charged Particle in a Magnetic Field
8.4 Charged Particle in an Electric and a Magnetic Field
8.5 Motion in a Nonuniform Magnetic Field
8A Appendix. Integration of the Equations

Chapter 9. Magnetic Potential

9.1 Introduction
9.2 The Magnetic Vector Potential
 9.3 Long, Straight, Current-carrying Conductor
9.4 Long Solenoid
9.5 Divergence

Chapter 10. Electromagnetic Induction

10.1 Introduction
10.2 Electromagnetic Induction and the Lorentz Force
10.3 Lenz's Law
10.4 Ballistic Galvanometer and the Measurement of Magnetic Field
10.5 AC Generator
10.6 AC Power
10.7 Linear Motors and Generators
10.8 Rotary Motors
10.9 The Transformer
10.10 Mutual Inductance
10.11 Self Inductance
10.12 Growth of Current in a Circuit Containing Inductance
10.13 Discharge of a Capacitor through an Inductance
10.14 Discharge of a Capacitor through an Inductance and a Resistance
10.15 Energy Stored in an Inductance
10.16 Energy Stored in a Magnetic Field

Chapter 11. Dimensions

Chapter 12. Properties of Magnetic Materials

12.1 Introduction
12.2 Magnetic Circuits and Ohm’s Law
12.3 Magnetization and Susceptibility
12.4 Diamagnetism
12.5 Paramagnetism
12.6 Ferromagnetism
12.7 Antiferromagnetism
12.8 Ferrimagnetism

Chapter 13. Alternating Current

13.1 Alternating current in an inductance

13.2 Alternating Voltage across a Capacitor
13.3 Complex Numbers
13.4 Resistance and Inductance in Series
 13.5 Resistance and Capacitance in Series
13.6 Admittance
13.7 The RLC Series Acceptor Circuit
13.8 The RLC Parallel Rejector Circuit
13.9 AC Bridges
13.9.1 The Owen Bridge
13.9.2 The Schering Bridge
13.9.3 The Wien Bridge
13.10 The Transformer

Chapter 14. Laplace Transforms

14.1 Introduction
14.2 Table of Laplace Transforms
14.3 The First Integration Theorem
14.4 The Second Integration Theorem (Dividing a Function by t)
14.5 Shifting Theorem
14.6 A Function Times tn
14.7 Differentiation Theorem
14.8 A First Order Differential Equation
14.9 A Second Order Differential Equation
14.10 Generalized Impedance
14.11 RLC Series Transient
14.12 Another Example

Chapter 15. Maxwell’s Equations

15.1 Introduction
15.2 Maxwell's First Equation
15.3 Poisson's and Laplace's Equations
15.4 Maxwell's Second Equation
15.5 Maxwell's Third Equation
15.6 The Magnetic Equivalent of Poisson's Equation
15.7 Maxwell's Fourth Equation
15.8 Summary of Maxwell's and Poisson's Equations
15.9 Electromagnetic Waves
15.10 Gauge Transformations
15.11 Maxwell’s Equations in Potential Form
15.12 Retarded Potential

Chapter 16. CGS Electricity and Magnetism

16.1 Introduction
 16.2 The CGS Electrostatic System
16.3 The CGS Electromagnetic System
16.4 The Gaussian Mixed System
16.5 Dimensions

Chapter 17. Magnetic Dipole Moment

17.1 Introduction
17.2 The SI Definition of Magnetic Moment
17.3 The Magnetic Field on the Equator of a Magnet
17.4 CGS Magnetic Moment, and Lip Service to SI
17.5 Possible Alternative Definitions of Magnetic Moment
17.6 Thirteen Questions
17.7 Additional Remarks
17.8 Conclusion

Chapter 18. Electrochemistry

 1

CHAPTER 10
ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION

10.1 Introduction

In 1820, Oersted had shown that an electric current generates a magnetic field. But can a magnetic
field generate an electric current? This was answered almost simultaneously and independently in
1831 by Joseph Henry in the United States and Michael Faraday in Great Britain. Faraday
constructed an iron ring, about six inches in diameter. He wound two coils of wire tightly around
the ring; one coil around one half (semicircle) of the ring, and the second coil around the second
half of the ring. The two coils were not connected to one another other than by sharing the same
iron core. One coil (which I'll refer to as the "primary" coil") was connected to a battery; the other
coil (which I'll refer to as the "secondary" coil) was connected to a galvanometer. When the battery
was connected to the primary coil a current, of course, flowed through the primary coil. This
current generated a magnetic field throughout the iron core, so that there was a magnetic field
inside each of the two coils. As long as the current in the primary coil remained constant, there was
no current in the secondary coil. What Faraday observed was that at the instant when the battery
was connected to the primary, and during that brief moment when the current in the primary was
rising from zero, a current momentarily flowed in the secondary – but only while the current in the
primary was changing. When the battery was disconnected, and during the brief moment when the
primary current was falling to zero, again a current flowed in the secondary (but in the opposite
direction to previously). Of course, while the primary current was changing, the magnetic field in
the iron core was changing, and Faraday recognized that a current was generated in the secondary
while the magnetic flux through it was changing. The strength of the current depended on the
resistance of the secondary, so it is perhaps more fundamental to note that when the magnetic flux
through a circuit changes, an electromotive force (EMF) is generated in the circuit, and the faster
the flux changes, the greater the induced EMF. Quantitative measurements have long established
that:

While the magnetic flux through a circuit is changing, an EMF is generated in the circuit
& B through the circuit.
which is equal to the rate of change of magnetic flux Φ

This is generally called "Faraday's Law of Electromagnetic Induction". A complete statement of

the laws of electromagnetic induction must also tell us the direction of the induced EMF, and this is
generally given in a second statement usually known as "Lenz's Law of Electromagnetic
Induction", which we shall describe in Section 10.2. When asked, therefore, for the laws of
electromagnetic induction, both laws must be given: Faraday's, which deals with the magnitude of
the EMF, and Lenz's, which deals with its direction.

You will note that the statement of Faraday's Law given above, says that the induced EMF is not
merely "proportional" to the rate of change of magnetic B-flux, but is equal to it. You will
therefore want to refer to the dimensions of electromotive force (SI unit: volt) and of B-flux (SI
unit: weber) and verify that Φ& B is indeed dimensionally similar to EMF. This alone does not tell
you the constant of proportionality between the induced EMF and Φ & B , though the constant is in
 2
fact unity, as stated in Faraday's law. You may then ask: Is this value of 1 for the constant of
proportionality between the EMF and Φ & B an experimental value (and, if so, how close to 1 is it,
and what is its currently determined best value), or is it expected theoretically to be exactly 1?
Well, I suppose it has to be admitted that physics is an experimental science, so that from that point
of view the constant has to be determined experimentally. But I shall advance an argument shortly
to show not only that you would expect it to be exactly 1, but that the very phenomenon of
electromagnetic induction is only to be expected from what we already knew (before embarking
upon this chapter) about electricity and magnetism.

Incidentally, we recall that the SI unit for Φ B is the weber (Wb). To some, this is not a very
familiar unit and some therefore prefer to express Φ B in T m2. Yet again, consideration of
Faraday's law tells us that a perfectly legitimate SI unit (which many prefer) for Φ B is V s.

10.2 Electromagnetic Induction and the Lorentz Force

1 11 1 1
1 11 1 1
B 1 11 1 1
1 11 1 1
1 11 1 1

FIGURE X.1

Imagine that there is a uniform magnetic field directed into the plane of the paper (or your
computer screen), as in figure X.1. Suppose there is a metal rod, as in the figure, and that the rod is
being moved steadily to the right. We know that, within the metal, there are many free conduction
electrons, not attached to any particular atom, but free to wander about inside the metal. As the
metal rod is moved to the right, these free conduction electrons are also moving to the right and
therefore they experience a Lorentz q v % B force, which moves them down (remember – electrons
are negatively charged) towards the bottom end of the rod. Thus the movement of the rod through
the magnetic field induces a potential difference across the ends of the rod. We have achieved
electromagnetic induction, and, seen this way, there is nothing new: electromagnetic induction is
nothing more than the Lorentz force on the conduction electrons within the metal.

You may speculate that, as an aircraft flies through Earth's magnetic field, a potential difference
will be induced across the wingtips. You might try to imagine how you might set up an experiment
to detect or measure this. You might also speculate that, as seawater flows up the English Channel,
a potential difference is induced between England and France. You might also ask yourself: What
if the rod were stationary, and the magnetic field were moving to the left? That's an interesting
 3
discussion for lunchtime: Can you imagine the magnetic field moving to the left? Who's to say
whether the rod or the field is moving?

If we were somehow to connect the ends of the rod in figure X.1 to a closed circuit, we might cause
a current to flow – and we would then have made an electric generator. Look at figure X.2.

I
1 11 1 11 11 1 1
1 11 1 11 11 1 1
a R1 11 1 1B1 11 1 1 x&
1 11 1 11 11 1 1
1 11 1 11 11 1 1

FIGURE X.2

We imagine that our metal bar is being pulled steadily to the right at speed v, and that it is in
contact with, and sliding smoothly without friction upon, two rails a distance a apart, and that the
rails are connected via a resistance R. As a consequence, a current I flows in the circuit in the
direction shown, counterclockwise. (The current is, of course, made up of negative conduction
electrons moving clockwise.) Now the magnetic field will exert a force on the current in the rod.
The force on the rod will be a I % B; that is aIB acting to the left. In order to keep the rod moving
steadily at speed v to the right against this force, work will have to be done at a rate aIBv . The
work will be dissipated in the resistance at a rate I V where V is the induced EMF. Therefore the
induced EMF is Bav. But av is the rate at which the area of the circuit is increasing, and Bav is the
rate at which the magnetic B-flux through the circuit is increasing. Therefore the induced EMF is
equal to the rate of change of magnetic flux through the circuit. Thus we have predicted Faraday's
law quantitatively merely from what we already know about the forces on currents and charged
particles in a magnetic field.

10.3 Lenz's Law

We can now address ourselves to the direction of the induced EMF. From our knowledge of the
Lorentz force q v % B we see that the current flows counterclockwise, and that this results in a force
on the rod that is in the opposite direction to its motion. But, even if we did not know this law, or
had forgotten the formula, or if we didn't understand a vector product, we could see that this must
be so. For, suppose that we move the rod to the right, and that, as a consequence, there will be a
force also the right. Then the rod moves faster, and the force to the right is greater, and the rod
moves yet faster, and so on. The rod would accelerate indefinitely, for the expenditure of no work.
No – this cannot be right. The direction of the induced EMF must be such as to oppose the change
of flux that causes it. This is merely a consequence of conservation of energy, and it can be stated
as Lenz's Law:
 4
When an EMF is induced in a circuit as a result of changing magnetic flux through the
circuit, the direction of the induced EMF is such as to oppose the change of flux that causes it.

In our example of Section 10.2, we increased the magnetic flux through a circuit by increasing the
area of the circuit. There are other ways of changing the flux through a circuit. For example, in
figure X.3, we have a circular wire and a magnetic field perpendicular to the plane of the circle,
directed into the plane of the drawing.

FIGURE X.3
1B
We could increase the magnetic flux through the coil by increasing the strength of the field rather
than by increasing the area of the coil. The rate of increase of the flux would then be AB& rather
than A& B. We could imagine increasing B, for example by moving a magnet closer to the coil, or
by moving the coil into a region where the magnetic field was stronger; or, if the magnetic field is
generated by an electromagnet somewhere, by increasing the current in the electromagnet. One
way or another, we increase the strength of the field through the coil. An EMF is generated in the
coil equal to the rate of change of magnetic flux, and consequently a current flows in the coil. In
which direction does this induced current flow? It flows in such a direction as to oppose the
increase in B that causes it. That is, the current flows counterclockwise in the coil. If this were not
so, and the induced current were clockwise, this would still further increase the flux through the
coil, and the current would increase further, and the flux would increase further, and so on. A
runaway increase in the current and the field would result, and energy would not be conserved.

If we were in decrease the strength of the field through the coil, a current would flow clockwise in
the coil – i.e. in such a sense as to tend to increase the field – i.e. to oppose the decrease in field that
we are trying to impose. It may well occur to you at this stage that it is impossible to increase the
current in a circuit instantaneously, and it takes a finite time to establish a new level of current.
This is correct – a point to which we shall return later, when indeed we shall calculate just how
long it does take.

Another way in which we could change the magnetic flux through a coil would be to rotate the coil
in a magnetic field. For example, in figure X.4a, we see a magnetic field directed to the right, and a
coil whose normal is perpendicular to the field. There is no magnetic flux through the coil. If we
now rotate the coil, as in figure X.4b, the flux through the coil will increase, an EMF will be
induced in the coil, equal to the rate of increase of flux, and a current will flow. The current will
flow in a direction such that the magnetic moment of the coil will be as shown, which will result in
an opposition to our imposed rotation on the coil, and the current will flow in the direction
indicated by the symbols ? and 1.
 5 ω

(a) (b)

FIGURE X.4

If the flux through a coil changes at a rate Φ& B , and if the coil is not just a single turn but is made of
N turns, the induced EMF will be Φ & B per turn, so that the induced EMF in the coil as a whole will
be NΦ & B.

10.4 Ballistic Galvanometer and the Measurement of Magnetic Field

A galvanometer is similar to a sensitive ammeter, differing mainly in that when no current passes
through the meter, the needle is in the middle of the dial rather than at the left hand end. A
galvanometer is used not so much to measure a current, but rather to detect whether or not a current
is flowing, and in which direction. In the ballistic galvanometer, the motion of the needle is
undamped, or as close to undamped as can easily be achieved. If a small quantity of electricity is
passed through the ballistic galvanometer in a time that is short compared with the period of
oscillation of the needle, the needle will jerk from its rest position, and then swing to and fro in
lightly damped harmonic motion. (It would be simple harmonic motion if it could be completely
undamped.) The amplitude of the motion, or rather the extent of the first swing, depends on the
quantity of electricity that was passed through the galvanometer. It could be calibrated, for
example, by discharging various capacitors through it, and making a table or graph of amplitude of
swing versus quantity of electricity passed.

Now, if we have a small coil of area A, N turns, resistance R, we could place the coil perpendicular
to a magnetic field B, and then connect the coil to a ballistic galvanometer. Then, suddenly (in a
time that is short compared with the oscillation period of the galvanometer), remove the coil from
the field (or rotate it through 90o) so that the flux through the coil goes from AB to zero. While the
 6
flux through the coil is changing, and EMF will be induced, equal to NAB& , and consequently a
current will flow momentarily through the coil of magnitude

I = NAB& /( R + r ), 10.4.1

where r is the resistance of the galvanometer. Integrate this with respect to time, with initial
condition Q = 0 when t = 0, and we find for the total quantity of electricity that flows through the
galvanometer

Q = NAB /( R + r ) . 10.4.2

Since Q can be measured from the amplitude of the galvanometer motion, the strength of the
magnetic field, B is determined.

I mentioned that the ballistic galvanometer differs from that of an ordinary galvanometer or
ammeter in that its motion is undamped. The motion of the needle in an ordinary ammeter is
damped, so that the needle doesn't swing violently whenever the current is changed, and so that the
needle moves promptly and purposefully towards its correct position. How is this damping
achieved?

The coil of a moving-coil meter is wound around a small aluminium frame called a former. When
the current through the ammeter coil is changed, the coil – and the former – swing round; but a
current is induced in the former, which gives the former a magnetic moment in such a sense as to
oppose and therefore dampen the motion. The resistance of the former is made just right so that
critical damping is achieved, so that the needle reaches its equilibrium position in the least time
without overshoot or swinging. The little aluminium former does not look as if it were an
important part of the instrument – but in fact its careful design is very important!

10.5 AC Generator

This and the following sections will be devoted to generators and motors. I shall not be concerned
with – and indeed am not knowledgeable about – the engineering design or practical details of real
generators or motors, but only with the scientific principles involved. The "generators" and
"motors" of this chapter will be highly idealized abstract concepts bearing little obvious
resemblance to the real things. Need an engineering student, then, pay any attention to this? Well,
of course, all real generators and motors obey and are designed around these very scientific
principles, and they wouldn't work unless their designers and builders had a very clear knowledge
and understanding of the basic principles.

The rod sliding on rails in a magnetic field described in Section 10.2 in fact was a D.C. (direct
current) generator. I now describe an A.C. (alternating current) generator.

In figure X.5 we have a magnetic field B, and inside the field we have a coil of area A (yes – area is
a vector) and N turns. The coil is being physically turned counterclockwise by some outside
agency at an angular speed ω radians per second. I am not concerned with who, what or how it is
 7

? ω

A
θ
B

FIGURE X.5

being physically turned. For all I know, it might be turned by a little man turning a hand crank, or
by a steam turbine driven by a coal- or oil-burning plant, or by a nuclear reactor, or it might be
driven by a water turbine from a hydroelectric generating plant, or it might be turned by having
something rubbing against the rim of your bicycle wheel. All I am interested in is that it is being
mechanically turned at an angular speed ω. As the coil turns, the flux through it changes, and a
current flows through the coil in a direction such that the magnetic moment generated for the coil is
in the direction indicated for the area A in figure X.5, and also indicated by the symbols ? and 1.
This will result in an opposition to rotation of the coil; whoever or whatever is causing the coil to
rotate will experience some opposition to his efforts and will have to do work. You can also
deduce the direction of the induced current by considering the direction of the Lorentz force on the
electrons in the wire of the coil.

At the instant illustrated in figure X.5, the flux through the coil is AB cos θ , or AB cos ωt , if we
assume that θ = 0 at t = 0. The rate of change of flux through the coil at this instant is the time
derivative of this, or − AB ω sin ωt. The magnitude of the induced EMF is therefore

V = NABω sin ωt = Vˆ sin ωt, 10.5.1

where Vˆ (" V-peak") is the peak or maximum EMF, given by

Vˆ = NABω. 10.5.2

Are you surprised that the peak EMF is proportional to N ? To A ? To B ? To ω ? Verify that
NAB ω has the correct dimensions for Vˆ .

The peak EMF occurs when the flux through the coil is changing most rapidly; this occurs when
θ = 90o , at which time the coil is horizontal and the flux through it is zero.
 8

The leads from the coil can be connected to an external circuit via a pair of slip rings through
which they can deliver current to the circuit.

The actual physical design of a generator is beyond the scope of this chapter and indeed of my
expertise, though all depend on the physical principles herein described. In the "design" (such as it
is) that I have described, the coil in which the EMF is induced is the rotor while the magnet is the
stator – but this need not always be the case, and indeed designs are perfectly possible in which the
magnet is the rotor and the coil the stator. In my design, too, I have assumed that there is but one
coil – but there might be several in different planes. For example, you might have three coils
whose planes make angles of 120o with each other. Each then generates a sinusoidal voltage, but
the phase of each differs by 120o from the phases of the other two. This enables the delivery of
power to three circuits. In a common arrangement these three circuits are not independent, but each
is connected to a common line. The EMF in this common line is then made up three sine waves
differing in phase by 120o :

V = Vˆ [sin ωt + sin(ωt + 120o ) + sin(ωt + 240o )]. 10.5.3

There are several ways in which you can see what this is like. For example, you could calculate
this expression for numerous values of t and plot the function out as a graph. Or you could expand
the expressions V = sin( ωt + 120o ) and V = sin( ωt + 240o ) , and gather the various terms
together to see what you get. (I recommend trying this.) Or you could simply add the three
components in a phase diagram:

FIGURE X.6
 9
It then becomes obvious that the sum is zero, and this line is the neutral line, the other three being
live lines.

10.6 AC Power

When a current I flows through a resistance R, the rate of dissipation of electrical energy as heat is
I 2 R . If an alternating potential difference V = Vˆ sin ωt is applied across a resistance, then an
alternating current I = Iˆ sin ωt will flow through it, and the rate at which energy is dissipated as
heat will also change periodically. Of interest is the average rate of dissipation of electrical energy
as heat during a complete cycle of period P = 2π /ω .

Let W = instantaneous rate of dissipation of energy, and W = average rate over a cycle of period
P = 2 π /ω . Then

P P P
WP = ∫ Wdt = R ∫ I 2 dt = RIˆ 2 ∫ sin 2 ωt dt
0 0 0

P
= 1
2
RIˆ 2 ∫0 (1 − cos 2ωt )dt = 1
2
RIˆ 2 [t − 1
2ω
sin 2ωt ]0P=2 π / ω = 1
2
RIˆ 2 P. 10.6.1

Thus W = 1
2 RIˆ 2 . 10.6.2

The expression 12 Iˆ 2 is the mean value of I 2 over a complete cycle. Its square root Iˆ / 2 = 0.707 Iˆ
is the root mean square value of the current, IRMS. Thus the average rate of dissipation of electrical
energy is
W = RI RMS
2
. 10.6.3

Likewise, the RMS EMF (pardon all the abbreviations) over a complete cycle is Vˆ / 2.

Often when an AC current or voltage is quoted, it is the RMS value that is meant rather than the
peak value. I recommend that in writing or conversation you always make it explicitly clear which
you mean.

Also of interest is the mean induced voltage V over half a cycle. (Over a full cycle, the mean
voltage is, of course, zero.) We have

P/2 P/2 Vˆ
V P/ 2 = ∫ V dt = Vˆ ∫ sin ωt dt = [cos ωt ]0P = π
0 0 ω 2 2

Vˆ 2Vˆ
= (1 − cos π) = . 10.6.4
ω ω
 10
Remembering that P = 2 π /ω , we see that

2Vˆ 2 2VRMS
V = = 0.6366Vˆ = = 0.9003VRMS. 10.6.5
π π

10.7 Linear Motors and Generators

Most (but not all!) real motors and generators are, of course, rotary. In this section I am going to
describe highly idealized and imaginary linear motors and generators, only because the geometry is
simpler than for rotary motors, and it is easier to explain certain principles. We'll move on the
rotary motors afterwards.

In figure X.7 I compare a motor and a generator. In both cases there is supposed to be an external
magnetic field (from some external magnet) directed away from the reader. A metal rod is resting
on a pair of conducting rails.

E 1B I v

MOTOR

B 1B I v

GENERATOR

FIGURE X.7
 11
In the motor, a battery is connected in the circuit, causing a current to flow clockwise around the
circuit. The interaction between the current and the external magnetic field produces a force on the
rod, moving it to the right.

In the generator, the rod is moved to the right by some externally applied force, and a current is
induced counterclockwise. If the B inside the circle represents a light bulb, a current will flow
through the bulb, and the bulb will light up.

Let us suppose that the rails are smooth and frictionless, and suppose that, in the motor, the rod isn't
pulling any weight. That is to say, suppose that there is no mechanical load on the motor. How fast
will the rod move? Since there is a force moving the rod to the right, will it continue to accelerate
indefinitely to the right, with no limit to its eventual speed? No, this is not what happens. When
the switch is first closed and the rod is stationary, a current will flow, given by E = IR, where E is
the EMF of the battery and R is the total resistance of the circuit. However, when the rod has
reached a speed v, the area of the circuit is increasing at a rate av, and a back EMF (which opposes
the EMF of the battery), of magnitude avB is induced, so the net EMF in the circuit is now
E − av B and the current is correspondingly reduced according to

E − av B = IR . 10.7.6

Eventually the rod reaches a limiting speed of E / ( aB) , at which point no further current is being
taken from the battery, and the rod (sliding as it is on frictionless rails with no mechanical load)
then obeys Newton's first law of motion – namely it will continue in its state of uniform motion,
because no forces are no acting upon it.

Problem 1. Show that the speed increases with time according to

E   (aB) 2 t  
v = 1 − exp −  , 10.7.7
aB   mR  

where m is the mass of the rod.

Problem 2. Show that the time for the rod to reach half of its maximum speed is

mR ln 2 .
t1/ 2 = 10.7.8
(a B)2

Problem 3. Suppose that E = 120 V, a = 1.6 m , m = 1.92 kg and R = 4 Ω . If the rod reaches a
speed of 300 m s−1 in 300 s, what is the strength of the magnetic field?

I'll give solutions to these problems at the end of this section. Until then – no peeking.
 12
In a frictionless rotary motor, the situation would be similar. Initially the current would be E/R, but,
when the motor is rotating with angular speed ω, the average back EMF is 2 NAB ω / π equation
10.5.5), and by the time this has reached the EMF of the battery, the frictionless, loadless coil
carries on rotating at constant angular speed, taking no current from the battery.

Now let's go back to our linear motor consisting of a metal rod lying on two rails, but this time
suppose that there is some mechanical resistance to the motion. This could be either because there
is friction between the rod and the rails, or perhaps the rod is dragging a heavy weight behind it, or
both. One way or another, let us suppose that the rod is subjected to a constant force F towards the
left. As before, the relation between the current and the speed is given by equation 10.7.6, but,
when a steady state has been reached, the electromagnetic force aIB pulling the rod to the right is
equal to the mechanical load F dragging the rod to the left. That is, E − av B = IR and F = a I B.
If we eliminate I between these two equations, we obtain

FR
E − av B = , 10.7.9
aB
E R
or v = − F. 10.7.10
aB (a B) 2

This equation, which relates the speed at which the motor runs to the mechanical load, is called the
motor performance characteristic. In our particular motor, the performance characteristic shows
that the speed at which the motor runs decreases steadily as the load is increased., and the motor
runs to a grinding halt for a load equal to a B E / R . (Verify that this has the dimensions of force.)
The current is then E/R. This current may be quite large. If you physically prevent a real motor
from turning by applying a mechanical torque to it so large that the motor cannot move, a large
current will flow through the coil – large enough to heat and possibly fuse the coil. You will hear a
sharp crack and see a little puff of smoke.

If we multiply equation 10.7.6 by I, we obtain

E I = a I Bv + I 2 R, 10.7.11

or E I = Fv + I 2 R. 10.7.12

This shows that the power produced by the battery goes partly into doing external mechanical
work, and the remainder is dissipated as heat in the resistance. Restrain the motor so that v = 0,
and all of that E I goes into I 2R.

If you were physically to move the rod to the right at a speed faster than the equilibrium speed, the
back EMF becomes greater than the battery EMF, and current flows back into the battery. The
device is then a generator rather than a motor.

The nature of the performance characteristic varies with the details of motor design. You may not
want a motor whose speed decreases so drastically with load. You may have to decide in advance
 13
what sort of performance characteristic you want the motor to have, depending on what tasks you
want it to perform, and then you have to design the motor accordingly. We shall mention some
possibilities in the next section.

Now – the promised solutions to the problems.

Solution to Problem 1.

When the speed of the rod is v, the net EMF in the circuit is E − a B v , so the current
is ( E − a B v ) / R , and so the force on the rod will be aB( E − a B v ) / R and the acceleration dv / dt
will be aB( E − a B v ) /( mR ) . The equation of motion is therefore

dv aB
= dt . 10.7.13
E − aBv mR

Integration, with v = 0 when t = 0, gives the required equation 10.7.7.

Solution to Problem 2.

E
Just put v = in equation 10.7.7 and solve for t. Verify that the expression has the dimensions
2a B
of time.

Solution to Problem 3.

Put the given numbers into equation 10.7.7 to get

2
B = 1
4 (1 − e −100 B ) 10.7.14

and solve this for B. (Nice and easy. But if you are not experienced in solving equations such as
this, the Newton-Raphson process is described in Chapter 1 of the Celestial Mechanics notes of this
series. This equation would be good practice.) There are two possible answers, namely 0.043996
T and 0.249505 teslas. I draw the speed:time graphs for the two solutions below:
 14

1200

1000

800
Speed m s -1

600

400

200

0
0 500 1000 1500
Time s

Numbers of interest for the two fields:

B (T) v ∞ (m s−1) t s

0.0440 1704.7 1074.29

0.2495 300.6 33.40

10.8 Rotary Motors

Most real motors, of course, are rotary motors, though all of the principles described for our highly
idealized linear motor of the previous section still apply.

Current is fed into a coil (known as the armature) via a split-ring commutator and the coil therefore
develops a magnetic moment. The coil is in a magnetic field, and it therefore experiences a torque.
(Figure X.5) The coil rotates and soon its magnetic moment vector will be parallel to the field and
there would be no further torque – except that, at that instant, the split-ring commutator reverses the
direction of the current in the coil, and hence reverses the direction of the magnetic moment. Thus
the coil continues to rotate until, half a period later, its new magnetic moment again lines up with
the magnetic field, and the commutator again reverses the direction of the moment.
 15
As in the case of the linear motor, the coil reaches a maximum angular speed, which depends on the
mechanical load (this time a torque). and the relation between the maximum angular speed and the
torque is the motor performance characteristic.

Also, as with a generator, there may be several coils (with a corresponding number of sections in
the commutator), and it is also possible to design motors in which the armature is the stator and the
magnet the rotor – but I am not particularly knowledgeable about the detailed engineering designs
of real motors – except that all of them depend upon the same scientific principles.

In all of the foregoing, it has been assumed that the magnetic field is constant, as if produced by a
permanent magnet. In real motors, the field is generally produced by an electromagnet. (Some
types of iron retain their magnetism permanently unless deliberately demagnetized. Others become
magnetized only when placed in a strong magnetic field such as produced by a solenoid, and they
lose most of their magnetization as soon as the magnetizing field is removed.)

The field coils may be wound in series with the armature coil (a series-wound motor) or in parallel
with it (a shunt-wound motor), or even partly in series and partly in parallel (a compound-wound
motor). Each design has it own performance characteristic, depending on the use for which it is
intended.

With a single coil rotating in a magnetic field, the induced back EMF varies periodically, the
average value being, as we have seen, 2 NAB ω / π . In practice the coil may be wound around
many slots placed around the perimeter of a cylindrical core every few degrees, and there are a
corresponding number of sections in the split-ring commutator. The back EMF is then less variable
than with a single coil, and, although the formula 2 NAB ω / π is no longer appropriate, the back
EMF is still proportional to B ω. We can write the average back EMF as KBω, where the motor
constant K depends on the detailed geometry of a particular design.

Shunt-wound Motor. In the shunt-wound motor, the field coil is wound in parallel to the armature
coil. In this case, the back EMF generated in the armature does not affect the current in the field
coil, so the motor operates rather as previously described for a constant field. That is, the motor
performance characteristic, giving the equilibrium angular speed in terms of the mechanical load
(torque, τ) is given by
E R
ω = − τ. 10.8.1
KB ( KB ) 2

Here, R is the armature resistance. In practice, there may be a variable resistance (rheostat) in
series with the field coil, so that the current through the field coil – and hence the field strength –
can be changed.

Series-wound Motor. The field coil is wound in series with the armature, and the motor
performance characteristic is rather different that for the shunt-wound motor. If the magnet core
does not saturate, then, to a linear approximation, the field is proportional to the current, and the
back EMF is proportional to the product of the current I and the angular speed ω - so let's say that
the back EMF is kIω. We then have
 16
E − kI ω = IR , 10.8.2

where E is the externally applied EMF (from a battery, for example) and R is the total resistance of
field coil plus armature.

Multiply both sides by I:

EI − kI 2 ω = I 2 R. 10.8.3

The term EI is the power supplied by the battery and I2R is the power dissipated as heat. Thus the
rate of doing mechanical work is kI2ω, which shows that the torque exerted by the motor is
τ = kI 2 . If we now substitute τ / k for I in equation 10.8.2, we obtain the motor performance
characteristic – i.e. the relation between ω and τ:

E R
ω = − . 10.8.4
kτ k

In figure X.8 we show the performance characteristics, in arbitrary units, for shunt- and series-
wound motors, based in our linear analysis, which assumes in both cases no saturation of the
electromagnet iron core. The maximum possible torque in both cases is the torque that makes
ω = 0 in the corresponding performance characteristic, namely KBE/R for the shunt-wound motor
and kE2/R for the series-wound motor. The latter goes to infinity for zero load. This does not
happen in practice, because we have made some assumptions that are not real (such as no saturation
of the magnet core, and also there can never be literally zero load), but nevertheless the analysis is
sufficient to show the general characteristics of the two types.

FIGURE X.7X.8
1.2

1
Shunt

0.8
Speed

0.6

0.4
Series

0.2

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
Torque
 17
The characteristics of the two may be combined in a compound-wound motor, depending on the
intended application. For example, a tape-recorder requires constant speed, whereas a car starter
requires a high starting torque.

10.9 The Transformer

Two coils are wound on a common iron core. The primary coil is connected to an AC (alternating
current) generator of (RMS) voltage V1. If there are N1 turns in the primary coil, the primary
current will be proportional to V1 / N1 and, provided the core is not magnetically saturated, the
magnetic field will also be proportional to this. The voltage V2 induced in the secondary coil (of N2
turns) will be proportional to N2 and to the field, and so we have

V2 N
= 2 . 10.9.1
V1 N1

We shall give a more detailed analysis of the transformer in a later chapter. However, one aspect
which can be noted here is that the rapidly-changing magnetic field induces eddy currents in the
iron core, and for this reason the core is usually constructed of thin laminated sheets (or sometimes
wires) insulated from each other to reduce these energy-wasting eddy currents. Sometimes these
laminations vibrate a little unless tightly bound together, and this is often responsible for the "hum"
of a transformer.

10.10 Mutual Inductance

Consider two coils, not connected to one another, other than being close together in space. If the
current changes in one of the coils, so will the magnetic field in the other, and consequently an
EMF will be induced in the second coil. Definition: The ratio of the EMF V2 induced in the second
coil to the rate of change of current I&1 in the first is called the coefficient of mutual inductance M
between the two coils:

V2 = MI&1. 10.10.1

The dimensions of mutual inductance can be found from the dimensions of EMF and of current,
and are readily found to be ML2Q−2.

Definition: If an EMF of one volt is induced in one coil when the rate of change of current in the
other is 1 amp per second, the coefficient of mutual inductance between the two is 1 henry, H.

Mental Exercise: If the current in coil 1 changes at a rate I&1 , the EMF induced in coil 2 is MI&1.
Now ask yourself this: If the current in coil 2 changes at a rate I&2 , is it true that the EMF induced
in coil 1 will be MI&2 ? (The answer is "yes" – but you are not excused the mental effort required to
convince yourself of this.)
 18

Example: Suppose that the primary coil is an infinite solenoid having n1 turns per unit length
wound round a core of permeability µ. Tightly would around this is a plain circular coil of N2
turns. The solenoid and the coil wrapped tightly round it are of area A. We can calculate the mutual
inductance of this arrangement as follows. The magnetic field in the primary is µn1I so the flux
through each coil is µn1AI. If the current changes at a rate I&, flux will change at a rate µnAI&, and
the EMF induced in the secondary coil will be µn1 N 2 AI&. Therefore the mutual inductance is

M = µn1 N 2 A. 10.10.2

Several points:

1. Verify that this has the correct dimensions.

2 If the current in the solenoid changes in such a manner as to cause an increase in the magnetic
field towards the right, the EMF induced in the secondary coil is such that, if it were connected
to a closed circuit so that a secondary current flows, the direction of this current will produce a
magnetic field towards the left – i.e. such as to oppose the rightward increase in B.

3. Because of the little mental effort you made a few minutes ago, you are now convinced that, if
you were to change the current in the plane coil at a rate I&, the EMF induced in the solenoid
would be MI&, where M is given by equation 10.10.2.

4. Equation 10.10.2 is the equation for the mutual inductance of the system, provided that the coil
and the solenoid are tightly coupled. If the coil is rather loosely draped around the solenoid, or
if the solenoid is not infinite in length, the mutual inductance would be rather less than given by
equation 10.10.2. It would be, in fact, k µn1 N 2 A, where k, a dimensionless number between 0
and 1, is the coupling coefficient.

5. While we have hitherto expressed permeability in units of tesla metres per amp (T m A−1) or
some such combination, equation 10.10.2 shows that permeability can equally well be (and
usually is) expressed in henrys per metre, H m−1. Thus, we say that the permeability of free
space is µ 0 = 4 π × 10−7 H m−1 .

Exercise: A plane coil of 10 turns is tightly wound around a solenoid of diameter 2 cm having 400
turns per centimetre. The relative permeability of the core is 800. Calculate the mutual inductance.
(I make it 0.126 H.)

10.11 Self Inductance

In this section we are dealing with the self inductance of a single coil rather than the mutual
inductance between two coils. If the current through a single coil changes, the magnetic field inside
that coil will change; consequently a back EMF will be induced in the coil that will oppose the
change in the magnetic field and indeed will oppose the change of current. Definition: The ratio of
 19
the back EMF to the rate of change of current is the coefficient of self inductance L. If the back
EMF is 1 volt when the current changes at a rate of one amp per metre, the coefficient of self
inductance is 1 henry.

Exercise: Show that the coefficient of self inductance (usually called simply the "inductance") of a
long solenoid of length l and having n turns per unit length is µn 2 Al , where I'm sure you know
what all the symbols stand for. Put some numbers in for an imaginary solenoid of your own
choosing, and calculate its inductance in henrys.

The circuit symbol for inductance is

If a coil has an iron core, this may be indicated in the circuit by

The symbol for a transformer is

Finally, don't confuse self-inductance with self-indulgence.

10.12 Growth of Current in a Circuit Containing Inductance

It will have occurred to you that if the growth of current in a coil results in a back EMF which
opposes the increase of current, current cannot change instantaneously in a circuit that contains
inductance. This is correct. (Recall also that the potential difference in a circuit cannot change
instantaneously in a circuit containing capacitance. Come to think of it, it is hardly possible for the
capacitance or inductance of any circuit to be exactly zero; any real circuit must have some
capacitance and inductance, even if very small.)

Consider the circuit of figure X.9. A battery of EMF E is in series with a resistance and an
inductance. (A coil or solenoid or any inductor in general will have both inductance and
resistance, so the R and the L in the figure may belong to one single item.) We have to be very
careful about signs in what follows.
E

FIGURE X.9
I , I&
LI&

R L
 20

When the circuit is closed (by a switch, for example) a current flows in the direction shown. by an
arrow, which also indicates the direction of the increase of current. An EMF LI& is induced in the
opposite direction to I&. Thus, Ohm's law, or, if your prefer, Kirchhoff's second rule, applied to the
circuit (watch the signs carefully) is

E − IR − LI& = 0. 10.12.1

Hence:
I dI R
∫ 0 E − I
=
L
dt. 10.12.2
R
dI R
∫
I
Warning: Some people find an almost irresistible urge to write this as = − dt.
0 I − E L
R
Don't!

You can anticipate that the left hand side is going to be a logarithm, so make sure that the
denominator is positive. You may recall a similar warning when we were charging and discharging
a capacitor through a resistance.

Integration of equation 10.12.2 results in the following equation for the growth of the current with
time:

I =
E
R
( )
1 − e −( R / L )t . 10.12.3

Thus the current asymptotically approaches its ultimate value of E/R, reaching 63% (i.e. 1 − e −1 ) of
its ultimate value in a time L/R. In figure X.10, the current is shown in units of E/R, and the time in
units of L/R. You should check that L/R, which is called the time constant of the circuit, has the
dimensions of time.
 21
FIGURE X.10
1

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6
Current

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Time

10.13 Discharge of a Capacitor through an Inductance

The circuit is shown in figure X.11, and, once again, it is important to take care with the signs.

FIGURE X.11
I
LI&

If +Q is the charge on the left hand plate of the capacitor at some time (and −Q the charge on the
right hand plate) the current I in the direction indicated is − Q& and the potential difference across
the plates is Q/C. The back EMF is in the direction shown, and we have

Q
− LI& = 0, 10.13.1
C

Q && = 0.
or + LQ 10.13.2
C
 22

This can be written && = − Q ,

Q 10.13.3
LC

which is simple harmonic motion of period 2 π LC . (verify that this has dimensions of time.)
Thus energy sloshes to and fro between storage as charge in the capacitor and storage as current in
the inductor.

If there is resistance in the circuit, the oscillatory motion will be damped, the charge and current
eventually approaching zero. But, even if there is no resistance, the oscillation does not continue
for ever. While the details are beyond the scope of this chapter, being more readily dealt with in a
discussion of electromagnetic radiation, the periodic changes in the charge in the capacitor and the
current in the inductor, result in an oscillating electromagnetic field around the circuit, and in the
generation of an electromagnetic wave, which carries energy away at a speed of 1 / ( µ 0 ε 0 ) .
Verify that this has the dimensions of speed, and that it has the value 2.998 % 108 m s−1. The
motion in the circuit is damped just as if there were a resistance of µ 0 / ε 0 = cµ 0 = 1 /(cε 0 ) in the
circuit. Verify that this has the dimensions of resistance and that it has a value of 376.7 Ω. This
effective resistance is called the impedance of free space.

10.14 Discharge of a Capacitor through an Inductance and a Resistance

This results in damped oscillatory motion. It is discussed in detail in Chapter 11 of the Classical
Mechanics part of these notes, especially Section 11.6.

10.15 Energy Stored in an Inductance

During the growth of the current in an inductor, at a time when the current is i and the rate of
increase of current is i& , there will be a back EMF Li&. The rate of doing work against this back
EMF is then Lii&. The work done in time dt is Lii&dt = Lidi, where di is the increase in current in
time dt. The total work done when the current is increased from 0 to I is

I
L∫ idi = 1
2 LI 2 , 10.15.1
0

and this is the energy stored in the inductance. (Verify the dimensions.)

10.16 Energy Stored in a Magnetic Field

Recall your derivation (Section 10.11) that the inductance of a long solenoid is µn 2 Al . The energy
stored in it, then, is 21 µn 2 AlI 2 . The volume of the solenoid is Al, and the magnetic field is
B = µn I , or H = n I . Thus we find that the energy stored per unit volume in a magnetic field is
 23
2
B
= 1
2 BH = 1
2 µH 2 . 10.16.2
2µ

In a vacuum, the energy stored per unit volume in a magnetic field is 1

2 µ 0 H 2 - even though the
vacuum is absolutely empty!

Equation 10.16.2 is valid in any isotropic medium, including a vacuum. In an anisotropic medium,
B and H are not in general parallel – unless they are both parallel to a crystallographic axis. More
generally, in an anisotropic medium, the energy per unit volume is 21 B • H .

Verify that the product of B and H has the dimensions of energy per unit volume.
 1

CHAPTER 11
DIMENSIONS

Although we have not yet met all of the quantities in use in electricity and magnetism, we have met
most of the important ones. Of those yet to come, some, such as impedance and reactance, will
obviously have the dimensions of resistance; some, such as reluctance and permeance, you will
rarely come across; and some, such as magnetic susceptibility, will obviously be dimensionless.
Now is therefore quite a convenient time to gather together the various quantities we have come
across, together with their dimensions (i.e. the powers of M, L, T and Q of which they are
composed) and their SI units. It will be a good time, too, for the reader to review the definitions of
the various quantities and to verify, from their definitions, their dimensions. Let me know
(jtatum@[Link]) if you find any mistakes in the following table.
 2

Powers of SI unit
M L T Q

Force 1 1 −2 0 N
Work, energy 1 2 −2 0 J
Torque 1 2 −2 0 Nm
Power 1 2 −3 0 W
Linear momentum, impulse 1 1 −1 0 kg m s−1 or N s
Rotational inertia 1 2 0 0 kg m2
Angular momentum 1 2 −1 0 Js
Electric charge 0 0 0 1 C
Electric dipole moment 0 1 0 1 Cm
Current 0 0 −1 1 A
Potential difference 1 2 −2 −1 V
Resistance 1 2 −1 −2 Ω
Resistivity 1 3 −1 −2 Ωm
Conductance −1 −3 1 2 S
Conductivity −1 −4 1 2 S m−1
Capacitance −1 −2 2 2 F
Electric field E 1 1 −2 −1 N C−1 or V m−1
Electric field D 0 −2 0 1 C m−2
Electric flux ΦE 1 3 −2 1 Vm
Electric flux ΦD 0 0 0 1 C
Permittivity −1 −3 2 2 F m−1
Magnetic field B 1 0 −1 −1 T
Magnetic field H 0 −1 −1 1 A m−1
Magnetic flux ΦB 1 2 −1 −1 T m2 or V s
Magnetic flux ΦH 0 3 −1 1 Am
Permeability 1 1 0 −2 H m−1
Magnetic vector potential 1 1 −1 −1 Tm
Inductance 1 2 0 −2 H
 1
CHAPTER 12
PROPERTIES OF MAGNETIC MATERIALS

12.1 Introduction

This chapter is likely to be a short one, not least because it is a subject in which my own knowledge
is, to put it charitably, a little limited. A thorough understanding of why some materials are
magnetic requires a full course in the physics of the solid state, a course that I could not possibly
give. Nevertheless, there are a few basic concepts and ideas concerned with magnetic materials
which everyone who is interested in electromagnetism should know, and it is the aim of this
chapter to describe them in a very introductory way.

It may be worthwhile to remind ourselves of the ways in which we have defined the magnetic fields
B and H. To define B, we noted that an electric current situated in a magnetic field experiences a
force at right angles to the current, the magnitude and direction of this force depending on the
direction of the current. We accordingly defined B as being equal to the maximum force per unit
length experienced per unit current, the defining equation being F' = I %B.

Later, we asked ourselves about the strength of the magnetic field in the vicinity of an electric
current. We introduced the Biot-Savart law, which says that the contribution to the magnetic field
from an element ds of a circuit carrying a current I is proportional to ( I ds sin θ) / r 2 , and we called
the constant of proportionality µ / ( 4 π ), where µ is the permeability of the material surrounding the
current. We might equally well have approached it from another angle. For example, we might
have noted that the magnetic field inside a solenoid is proportional to nI, and we could have
denoted the constant of proportionality µ, the permeability of the material inside the solenoid.

We then defined H as being an alternative measure of the magnetic field, given by H = B/µ.

In an isotropic medium, the vectors B and H are parallel, and the permeability is a scalar quantity.
In an anisotropic crystal, B and H are not necessarily parallel, and the permeability is a tensor.

Some people see an analogy between the equation between the equation B = µH and the equation
D = εE of electric fields. With our approach, however, I think most readers will see that, to the
extent that there may be an analogy, the analogy is between D = εE and H = B/µ.

For example, consider a long solenoid, in the inside of which are two different magnetic materials
in series, the first of permeability µ1 and the second of greater permeability µ2. The H-field
everywhere inside the solenoid is just nI, regardless of what is inside it. Like D, the component of
H perpendicular to the boundary between two media is continuous, whereas the perpendicular
component of B is greater inside the material with the larger permeability. Likewise, if you were to
consider, for example, two different media lying side-by-side in parallel, between the poles, for
example, of a horseshoe magnet, the component of B parallel to the boundary between the media is
continuous, and the parallel component of H is less in the medium of greater permeability.

In this chapter, we shall introduce a few new words, such as permeance and magnetization. We
shall describe in a rather simple and introductory way five types of magnetism exhibited by various
 2
materials: diamagnetism, paramagnetism, ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism and
ferrimagnetism. And we shall discuss the phenomenon of hysteresis.

12.2 Magnetic Circuits and Ohm's Law

Some people find it helpful to see an analogy between a system of solenoids and various magnetic
materials and a simple electrical circuit. They see it as a "magnetic circuit". I myself haven't found
it to be particularly useful – but, as I mentioned, my experience in this field is less than extensive. I
think it may be useful for some readers, however, at least to be introduced to the concept.

The magnetic field inside a long solenoid is given by B = µnI = µNI / l . Here, n is the number of
turns per unit length, N is the total number of turns, and l is the length of the solenoid. If the cross-
sectional area of the solenoid is A, the B-flux is Φ B = µNIA / l . This can be written

l .
NI = Φ B × 12.2.1
µA

The analogy which some people find useful is between this and Ohm's law:

V = I R. 12.2.2

The term NI, expressed in ampere-turns, is the magnetomotive force MMF.

The symbol ΦB is the familiar B-flux, and is held to be analogous to current.

The term l / ( µA) is the reluctance, expressed in H−1. Reluctances add in series.

The reciprocal of the reluctance is the permeance, expressed in H. Permeances add in parallel.

Although the SI unit of permeance is the henry, permeance is not the same as the inductance. It
µAN 2 .
will be recalled, for example, that the inductance of a long solenoid of N turns is
l

Continuing with the analogy, we recall that resistivity = (A / l) % resistance;

Similarly reluctivity = (A / l) % reluctance = 1/µ. (m H−1)

Also, the reciprocal of resistance is conductance.

Similarly the reciprocal of reluctance is permeance. (H)

And conductivity is (l / A) % conductance.

Likewise (l / A) % permeance is – what else? – permeability µ. (H m−1)

 3

I have mentioned these names partly for completeness and partly because it's fun to write some
unusual and unfamiliar words such as permeance and reluctivity. I am probably not going to use
these concepts further or give examples of their use. This is mostly because I am not as familiar
with them myself as perhaps I ought to be, and I am sure that there are contexts in which these
concepts are indeed highly useful. The next section introduces some more funny words, such as
magnetization and susceptibility – but these are words that you will need to know and understand.

12.3 Magnetization and Susceptibility

The H-field inside a long solenoid is nI. If there is a vacuum inside the solenoid, the B-field is
µ 0 H = µ 0nI . If we now place an iron rod of permeability µ inside the solenoid, this doesn't change
H, which remains nI . The B-field, however, is now B = µH . This is greater than µ0H, and we
can write

B = µ0 ( H + M ) . 12.3.1

The quantity M is called the magnetization of the material. In SI units it is expressed in A m−1. We
see that there are two components to B. There is the µ 0 H = µ 0nI , which is the externally imposed
field, and the component µ0M, originating as a result of something that has happened within the
material.

It might have occurred to you that you would have preferred to define the magnetization from B = µ0H + M, so that
the magnetization would be the excess of B over µ0H. The equation B = µ0H + M, would be analogous to the familiar
D = ε 0 E + P , and the magnetization would then be expressed in tesla rather than in A m−1 . This viewpoint does
indeed have much to commend it, but so does B = µ 0 ( H + M ) . The latter is the recommended definition in the
SI approach, and that is what we shall use here.

The ratio of the magnetization M ("the result") to H ("the cause"), which is obviously a measure of
how susceptible the material is to becoming magnetized, is called the magnetic susceptibility χm of
the material:

M = χm H . 12.3.2

On combining this with equation 12.3.1 and B = µH, we readily see that the magnetic
susceptibility (which is dimensionless) is related to the relative permeability µ r = µ / µ 0 by

µ r = 1 + χm . 12.3.3
 4
12.4 Diamagnetism

We mentioned in Section 12.1 that there are five types of magnetism exhibited by various
materials. In this section we deal with the first of these, namely, diamagnetism.

Diamagnetic materials have a very weak negative susceptibility, typically of order −10−6. That is
to say, the relative permeability is slightly less than 1. Consequently, when a diamagnetic material
is placed in a magnetic field, B < µ 0 H .

If you are now hearing about this phenomenon for the first time, you may be a little surprised, and
you will be expecting me to present a very short list of quite exotic materials known to be
diamagnetic. So, here comes a further surprise: All materials are diamagnetic. Some materials
may also be paramagnetic or ferromagnetic, and their positive paramagnetic or ferromagnetic
susceptibilities may be larger than their negative diamagnetic susceptibility, so that their overall
susceptibility is positive. But all materials are diamagnetic, even if their diamagnetism is hidden by
their greater para- or ferromagnetism.

A proper account of the mechanism at the atomic level of the cause of diamagnetism requires a
quantum mechanical treatment, but we can understand the phenomenon qualitatively classically.
We just have to think of an atom as being a nucleus surrounded by electrons moving in orbits
around the nucleus. When an atom (or a large collection of atoms in a macroscopic sample of
matter) is placed in a magnetic field, a current is induced within the atom by electromagnetic
induction. That is, the electrons are caused to orbit around the nucleus, and hence to give the atom
a magnetic moment, in such a direction as to oppose the increase in the magnetic field that causes
it. The result of this happening to all of the atoms in a macroscopic sample is that B will now be
less than µ0H, and the susceptibility will be negative. But, you may argue, these induced currents
and their associated opposing magnetic moments will last only so long as the external field is
changing. In fact it persists as long as the magnetizing field persists. The reason is as follows. In
Chapter 10, we were dealing with wires and coils and resistors, and any current induced by a
changing magnetic field was rapidly dissipated. For an electron in an orbit around a nucleus,
however, there is no resistance, so, once it is set in motion, it will stay in motion. The same
situation would arise if we were to induce a current in a loop of wire made of superconducting
material whose resistance is zero. The current, once induced, continues, and is not dissipated away
as heat.

12.5 Paramagnetism

Diamagnetism makes itself evident in atoms and molecules that have no permanent magnetic
moment. Some atoms or molecules, however, do have a permanent magnetic moment, and such
materials are paramagnetic. They must still be diamagnetic, but often the paramagnetism will
outweigh the diamagnetism. The magnetic moment of an atom of a molecule is typically if order of
a Bohr magneton. (See Chapter VII, Sections 21-23, of Stellar Atmospheres for more details about
the Bohr magneton and the magnetic moments of atoms. All that we need note here is that a Bohr
magneton is about 9.3 % 10−24 N m T−1.) The presence of a permanent magnetic moment is often
the result of unpaired electron spins. An example often quoted is the oxygen molecule O2. Liquid
 5
oxygen indeed is paramagnetic. When a paramagnetic material is placed in a magnetic field, the
magnetic moments experience a torque and they tend to orient themselves in the direction of the
magnetic field, thus augmenting, rather than diminishing, B. Unsurprisingly the effect is greatest at
low temperatures, where the random motion of atoms and molecules is low. At liquid helium
temperatures (of order 1 K), susceptibilities can be of order +10−3 or +10−2, thus greatly exceeding
the small negative susceptibility. At room temperature, paramagnetic susceptibilities are much less
– typically about +10−5, barely exceeding the diamagnetic susceptibility.

12.6 Ferromagnetism

What we normally think of as magnetic materials are technically ferromagnetic. The

susceptibilities of ferromagnetic materials are typically of order +103 or 104 or even greater.
However, the ferromagnetic susceptibility of a material is quite temperature sensitive, and, above a
temperature known as the Curie temperature, the material ceases to become ferromagnetic, and it
becomes merely paramagnetic.

Among the elements, only cobalt, iron and nickel are strongly ferromagnetic, their Curie
temperatures being about 1400, 1040 and 630 K respectively. Gadolinium is ferromagnetic at low
temperatures; its Curie temperature is about 289 K = 16 oC. Dysprosium is ferromagnetic below
its Curie temperature of about 105 K. There are many artificial alloys and ceramic materials which
are ferromagnetic.

As with paramagnetic materials, the atoms have permanent magnetic moments, but with the
difference that these moments are not randomly oriented but are strongly aligned to the
crystallographic axes. Within a single crystal, there exist domains, within which all the magnetic
moments are parallel and are aligned with a particular axis. In an adjacent domain, again all the
moments are parallel to each other, but they may be aligned with a different axis, perhaps at right
angles to the first domain, or perhaps aligned with the same axis but pointing in the opposite
direction. Thus we have a number of domains, each highly magnetized, but with some domains
magnetized in one direction and some in another. The domains are separated by domain
boundaries, or “Bloch walls”, perhaps a few hundred atoms thick, within which the orientation of
the magnetic moments gradually changes from one domain to the next. Figure XII.1 is a
schematic sketch of a crystal divided into four domains, with the magnetization in a different
direction in each.

FIGURE XII.1
 6

In figure XIII.2 I am exposing the crystal to a progressively stronger and stronger magnetic field,
and we watch what happens to the domains, and, in figure XIII.3, to the magnetization of the
crystal as a whole.

B
B

a b c

FIGURE XII.2

M
d c

FIGURE XII.3 b
RM

a
H
CF

When we first apply a weak field (a), the Bloch walls (domain boundaries) move so that the
favorably-oriented domains grow at the expense of the opposing domains, and the magnetization
 7
slowly increases. With stronger fields (b), suddenly all the magnetic moments (due to unpaired
spins) within a single domain change direction almost in unison, so that an opposing domain
suddenly becomes a favorable domain; this happens to one domain after another, until all domains
are oriented favorably, and the magnetization of the specimen rapidly increases. For yet stronger
fields (c), the magnetic moments, usually oriented parallel to a crystal axis, bend so that they are in
the direction of the magnetizing field. When all of that is achieved, no further magnetization is
possible, and the specimen is saturated.

Now, if the field is reduced, the magnetic moments relax and take up their normal positions parallel
to a crystallographic axis. But, as the field is further reduced (d), there is no reason for the domains
to reverse their polarity as happened at stage (b). That is, when stage (b) originally happened, this
was an irreversible process. The demagnetization curve does not follow the magnetization curve in
reverse. Consequently, when the magnetizing field has been reduced to zero, the specimen retains
a remanent magnetization (indicated by RM in figure XIII.3), with all domains still favorably
oriented. In order to reduce the magnetization to zero, you have to apply a field in the reverse
direction. The reverse field needed to reduce the magnetization to zero is called the coercive force
(indicated by CF in figure XIII.3).

As you repeatedly magnetize the specimen first on one direction and then the other, the graph of
magnetization versus magnetizing field describes the hysteresis loop indicated in figure XII.3.
Because of the irreversible process (b), magnetic energy is dissipated as heat during a complete
cycle, the about of energy loss being proportional to the area of the hysteresis loop. The amount of
the hysteresis depends on how freely the domain walls can move, which in turn depends on the
physical and chemical constitution of the magnetic materials, particularly on the number of
impurities present that can inhibit Bloch wall movement. For a permanent magnet, you need a
material with a fat hysteresis loop, with a large remanent magnetization as well as a large coercive
force, so that it cannot be demagnetized easily. For a transformer core, you need a material with a
narrow hysteresis loop.

If you put a magnetic material inside a solenoid with alternating current inside the solenoid, the
magnetization will repeatedly go around the hysteresis loop. If you now gradually decrease the
amplitude of the current in the solenoid, the hysteresis loop will gradually become smaller and
smaller, vanishing to a point (H and M both zero) when the current is reduced to zero. This
provides a method of demagnetizing a specimen.

It is distressing how often one reads of the “remnant” magnetization. I have even encountered over-enthusiastic copy-
editors who will change an author’s correct spelling “remanent” to the incorrect “remnant”. The difference is that
“remnant” is a noun (as in a remnant of cloth) and “remanent”, which is pronounced with three distinct syllables, is an
adjective, meaning “remaining”.

12.7 Antiferromagnetism

I include this largely for completeness, but I am obliged to be brief, because it is a subject I know
little about. It is my understanding that it involves materials in which the atoms or ions or
molecules have a permanent dipole moment (resulting from unpaired electron spins), as in
paramagnetic and ferromagnetic materials, and the crystals have domain structure, as in
 8
ferromagnetic materials, but alternating ions within a domain have their magnetic moments
oriented in opposite directions, so the domain as a whole has zero magnetization, or zero
susceptibility. An example of an antiferromagnetic material is manganese oxide MnO, in which the
Mn++ ion has a magnetic moment. Such materials are generally antiferromagnetic at low
temperatures. As the temperature is increased, the domain structure breaks down and the material
becomes paramagnetic – as also happens, of course, with ferromagnetic materials. But whereas the
susceptibility of a ferromagnetic material decreases dramatically with rising temperature, until it
become merely paramagnetic, the susceptibility of an antiferromagnetic material starts at zero, and
its transformation to a paramagnetic material results in an increase (albeit a small increase) in its
susceptibility. As the temperature is raised still further, the paramagnetic susceptibility drops (as is
usual for paramagnetics), so there is presumably some temperature at which the susceptibility is a
maximum.

12.8 Ferrimagnetism

This section will be shorter still, because I know even less about it! It is my understanding that,
like ferromagnetics and antiferromagnetics, there is a domain structure, and, like
antiferromagnetics, alternate magnetic moments are pointing in opposite directions. But this does
not result is complete cancellation of the magnetization of a domain. This often results if the
alternating atoms or ions within a domain are different species, with unequal magnetic moments.
 1
CHAPTER 13
ALTERNATING CURRENTS

13.1 Alternating current in an inductance

I& + −
A B
FIGURE XIII.1

In the figure we see a current increasing to the right and passing through an inductor. As a
consequence of the inductance, a back EMF will be induced, with the signs as indicated. I denote
the back EMF by V = VA − VB. The back EMF is given by V = LI&.

Now suppose that the current is an alternating current given by

I = Iˆ sin ωt. 13.1.1

In that case I& = Iˆω cos ωt , and therefore the back EMF is

V = IˆLω cos ωt , 13.1.2

which can be written V = Vˆ cos ωt , 13.1.3

where the peak voltage is Vˆ = LωIˆ 13.1.4

and, of course VRMS = L ωI RMS .

The quantity Lω is called the inductive reactance XL. It is expressed in ohms (check the
dimensions), and, the higher the frequency, the greater the reactance. (The frequency ν is ω/(2π).)

Comparison of equations 13.1.1 and 13.1.3 shows that the current and voltage are out of phase, and
that V leads on I by 90o, as shown in figure XIII.2.

I
V

FIGURE XIII.2
 2
13.2 Alternating Voltage across a Capacitor

+ −

FIGURE XIII.3
At any time, the charge Q on the capacitor is related to the potential difference V across it by
Q = CV . If there is a current in the circuit, then Q is changing, and I = CV&.

Now suppose that an alternating voltage given by

V = Vˆ sin ωt 13.2.1

is applied across the capacitor.

In that case the current is I = CωVˆ cos ωt, 13.2.2

which can be written I = Iˆ cos ωt, 13.2.3

where the peak current is Iˆ = CωVˆ 13.2.4

and, of course I RMS = CωVRMS .

The quantity 1/(Cω) is called the capacitive reactance XC. It is expressed in ohms (check the
dimensions), and, the higher the frequency, the smaller the reactance. (The frequency ν is ω/(2π).)

Comparison of equations 13.2.1 and 13.2.3 shows that the current and voltage are out of phase, and
that V lags behind I by 90o, as shown in figure XIII.4.

V
I

FIGURE XIII.4
13.3 Complex Numbers

I am now going to repeat the analyses of Sections 13.1 and 13.2 using the notation of complex
numbers. In the context of alternating current theory, the imaginary unit is customarily given the
symbol j rather than i, so that the symbol i is available, if need be, for electric currents. I am
making the assumption that the reader is familiar with the basics of complex numbers; without that
background, the reader may have difficulty with much of this chapter.
 3

We start with the inductance. If the current is changing, there will be a back EMF given by
V = LI&. If the current is changing as

I = Iˆe jωt , 13.3.1

then I& = Iˆjωe jωt = jωI. Therefore the voltage is given by

V = jL ωI . 13.3.2

The quantity jLω is called the impedance of the inductor, and is j times its reactance. Equation
13.3.2 (in particular the operator j on the right hand side) tells us that V leads on I by 90o.

Now suppose that an alternating voltage is applied across a capacitor. The charge on the capacitor
at any time is Q = CV, and the current is I = CV& . If the voltage is changing as

V = Vˆe jωt , 13.3.3

then V& = Vˆjωe jωt = jωV . Therefore the current is given by

I = jCωV . 13.3.4

j
That is to say V = − I. 13.3.5
Cω

The quantity − j / ( Cω ) is called the impedance of the capacitor, and is −j times its reactance.
Equation 13.3.5 (in particular the operator −j on the right hand side) tells us that V lags behind I by
90o.

In summary:

Inductor: Reactance = Lω. Impedance = jLω. V leads on I.

Capacitor: Reactance = 1/(Cω). Impedance = −j/(Cω). V lags behind I.

It may be that at this stage you haven't got a very clear idea of the distinction between reactance
(symbol X) and impedance (symbol Z) other than that one seems to be j or −j times the other. The
next section deals with a slightly more complicated situation, namely a resistor and an inductor in
series. (In practice, it may be one piece of equipment, such as a solenoid, that has both resistance
and inductance.) Paradoxically, you may find it easier to understand the distinction between
impedance and reactance from this more complicated situation.
 4
13.4 Resistance and Inductance in Series

The impedance is just the sum of the resistance of the resistor and the impedance of the inductor:

Z = R + jL ω. 13.4.1

Thus the impedance is a complex number, whose real part R is the resistance and whose imaginary
part Lω is the reactance. For a pure resistance, the impedance is real, and V and I are in phase. For
a pure inductance, the impedance is imaginary (reactive), and there is a 90o phase difference
between V and I.

The voltage and current are related by

V = IZ = ( R + jL ω ) I . 13.4.2

Those who are familiar with complex numbers will see that this means that V leads on I , not by
90o, but by the argument of the complex impedance, namely tan −1 ( L ω / R ). Further the ratio of the
peak (or RMS) voltage to the peak (or RMS) current is equal to the modulus of the impedance,
namely R 2 + L2 ω 2 .

13.5 Resistance and Capacitance in Series

Likewise the impedance of a resistance and a capacitance in series is

Z = R − j / (Cω) . 13.5.1

The voltage and current are related, as usual, by V = IZ. Equation 13.5.1 shows that the voltage
lags behind the current by tan −1[1 / ( RCω)], and that Vˆ / Iˆ = R 2 +1 /(Cω) 2 .

13.6 Admittance

In general, the impedance of a circuit is partly resistive and partly reactive:

Z = R + jX . 13.6.2

The real part is the resistance, and the imaginary part is the reactance. The relation between V and I
is V = IZ. If the circuit is purely resistive, V and I are in phase. If is it purely reactive, V and I
differ in phase by 90o. The reactance may be partly inductive and partly capacitive, so that

Z = R + j( X L − X C ). 13.6.3

Indeed we shall describe such a system in detail in the next section.

 5

The reciprocal of the impedance Z is the admittance, Y.

1 1 .
Thus Y = = 13.6.4
Z R + jX

And of course, since V = IZ, I = VY.

Whenever we see a complex (or a purely imaginary) number in the denominator of an expression,
we always immediately multiply top and bottom by the complex conjugate, so equation 13.6.4
becomes
Z* R − jX .
Y = = 2 13.6.5
|Z | 2
R +X 2

This can be written

Y = G + jB , 13.6.6

where the real part, G, is the conductance:

R ,
G = 13.6.7
R + X2
2

and the imaginary part, B, is the susceptance:

X .
B = − 13.6.8
R + X2
2

The SI unit for admittance, conductance and susceptance is the siemens (or the "mho" in informal
talk).

I leave it to the reader to show that

G
R = 13.6.9
G + B2
2

B .
and X = − 13.6.10
G + B2
2

13.7 The RLC Series Acceptor Circuit

A resistance, inductance and a capacitance in series is called an "acceptor" circuit, presumably

because, for some combination of the parameters, the magnitude of the inductance is a minimum,
 6
and so current is accepted most readily. We see in figure XIII.5 an alternating voltage
V = Vˆe jωt applied across such an R, L and C.

V = Vˆe jωt

R L C

FIGURE XIII.5

The impedance is

 1 
Z = R + j  Lω − . 13.7.1
 Cω 

We can see that the voltage leads on the current if the reactance is positive; that is, if the inductive
reactance is greater than the capacitive reactance; that is, if ω > 1/ LC . (Recall that the
frequency, ν, is ω/(2π)). If ω < 1/ LC , the voltage lags behind the current. And if
ω = 1/ LC , the circuit is purely resistive, and voltage and current are in phase.

The magnitude of the impedance (which is equal to Vˆ / Iˆ ) is

R 2 + (Lω − 1 /(Cω) ) ,
2
|Z | = 13.7.2

and this is least (and hence the current is greatest) when ω = 1/ LC , the resonant frequency,
which I shall denote by ω0.

It is of interest to draw a graph of how the magnitude of the impedance varies with frequency for
various values of the circuit parameters. I can reduce the number of parameters by defining the
dimensionless quantities

Ω = ω / ω0 13.7.3

1 L
Q = 13.7.4
R C
 7
|Z| .
and z = 13.7.4
R

You should verify that Q is indeed dimensionless. We shall see that the sharpness of the resonance
depends on Q, which is known as the quality factor (hence the symbol Q). In terms of the
dimensionless parameters, equation 13.7.2 becomes

z = 1 + Q 2 ( Ω − 1 / Ω) 2 . 13.7.5

This is shown in figure XIII.6, in which it can be seen that the higher the quality factor, the sharper
the resonance.

FIGURE XIII.6
18

16

Q=8
14
7
12
6
Impedance z

10
5

8
4

6 3

4 2

0
0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Angular frequency Ω

In particular, it is easy to show that the frequencies at which the impedance is twice its minimum
value are given by the positive solutions of

 3 
Ω 4 −  2 + 2  Ω 2 + 1 = 0. 13.7.6
 Q 

If I denote the smaller and larger of these solutions by Ω− and Ω+, then Ω+ − Ω− will serve as a
useful description of the width of the resonance, and this is shown as a function of quality factor in
figure XIII.7.
 8

FIGURE XIII.7
1

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6
Width

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Q

13.8 The RLC Parallel Rejector Circuit

In the circuit below, the magnitude of the admittance is least for certain values of the parameters.
When you tune a radio set, you are changing the overlap area (and hence the capacitance) of the
plates of a variable air-spaced capacitor so that the admittance is a minimum for a given frequency,
so as to ensure the highest potential difference across the circuit. This resonance, as we shall see,
does not occur for an angular frequency of exactly 1/ LC , but at an angular frequency that is
approximately this if the resistance is small.

V = Vˆe jωt

R L

C
 9
The admittance is
1
Y = jCω + . 13.8.1
R + jL ω
After some routine algebra (multiply top and bottom by the conjugate; then collect real and
imaginary parts), this becomes

R + jω ( L2 Cω 2 + R 2 C − L ) .
Y = 13.8.2
R 2 + L2 ω 2

The magnitude of the admittance is least when the susceptance is zero, which occurs at an angular
frequency of

1 R2
ω =
2
0 − 2 . 13.8.3
LC L

If R << L / C , this is approximately 1/ LC .

13.9 AC Bridges

We have already met, in Chapter 4, Section 4.11, the Wheatstone bridge, which is a DC (direct
current) bridge for comparing resistances, or for "measuring" an unknown resistance if it is
compared with a known resistance. In the Wheatstone bridge (figure IV.9), balance is achieved
R R
when 1 = 3 . Likewise in a AC (alternating current) bridge, in which the power supply is an
R2 R4
AC generator, and there are impedances (combinations of R, L and C ) in each arm (figure XIII.8),

Z1 Z2

Z3 Z4

FIGURE XIII.8
 10

balance is achieved when

Z1 Z
= 3 13.9.1
Z2 Z4

Z1 Z
or, of course, = 2 . This means not only that the RMS potentials on both sides of the detector
Z3 Z4
must be equal, but they must be in phase, so that the potentials are the same at all times. (I have
drawn the "detector" as though it were a galvanometer, simply because that is easiest for me to
draw. In practice, it might be a pair of earphones or an oscilloscope.) Each side of equation 13.9.1
is a complex number, and two complex numbers are equal if and only if their real and imaginary
parts are separately equal. Thus equation 13.9.1 really represents two equations – which are
necessary in order to satisfy the two conditions that the potentials on either side of the detector are
equal in magnitude and in phase.

We shall look at three examples of AC bridges. It is not recommended that these be committed to
memory. They are described only as examples of how to do the calculation.

13 9.1 The Owen Bridge

R2
R1
L2 = ?

C4
C3
R4

FIGURE XIII.9
 11

This bridge can be used for measuring inductance. Note that the unknown inductance is the only
inductance in the bridge. Reactance is supplied by the capacitors.

Equation 13.9.1 in this case becomes

R1 − j / ( C3ω ) .
= 13.9.2
R2 + jL2 ω R4 − j / ( C4 ω )

R1 L R
That is, R1 R4 − j = 2 − j 2 . 13.9.3
C4 ω C3 C3ω

On equating real and imaginary parts separately, we obtain

L2 = R1 R4 C3 13.9.4

R1 C
and = 4 . 13.9.5
R2 C3

13 9.2 The Schering Bridge

This bridge can be used for measuring capacitance.

R1
R2

C1 = ?

C4

C3 R4

FIGURE XIII.10
 12

1
The admittance of the fourth arm is + jC4 ω , and its impedance is the reciprocal of this. I leave
R4
the reader to balance the bridge and to show that

R1 C
= 4 13.9.6
R2 C3

C3 R4 .
and C1 = 13.9.7
R2

13 9.3 The Wien Bridge

R1
R2

R3
R4
C3

C4

FIGURE XIII.11

This bridge can be used for measuring frequency.

The reader will, I think, be able to show that

 13
R4 C R
+ 3 = 2 13.9.8
R3 C4 R1

1 .
and ω2 = 13.9.10
R3 R4 C3C4

13.10 The Transformer

We met the transformer briefly in Section 10.9. There we pointed out that the EMF induced in the
secondary coil is equal to the number of turns in the secondary coil times the rate of change of
magnetic flux; and the flux is proportional to the EMF applied to the primary times the number of
turns in the primary. Hence we deduced the well known relation

V2 N
= 2 13.10.1
V1 N1

relating the primary and secondary voltages to the number of turns in each. We now look at the
transformer in more detail; in particular, we look at what happens when we connect the secondary
coil to a circuit and take power from it.

I1 I2

V = Vˆe jωt i L1 L2 R

FIGURE XIII.12

In figure XIII.12, we apply an AC EMF V = Vˆe jωt to the primary circuit. The self inductance of
the primary coil is Ll, and an alternating current I1 flows in the primary circuit. The self inductance
of the secondary coil is L2, and the mutual inductance of the two coils is M. If the coupling
between the two coils is very tight, then M = L1 L2 ; otherwise it is less than this. I am supposing
that the resistance of the primary circuit is much smaller than the reactance, so I am going to
neglect it.
 14
The secondary coil is connected to a resistance R. An alternating current I2 flows in the secondary
circuit.

Let us apply Ohm's law (or Kirchhoff's second rule) to each of the two circuits.

In the primary circuit, the applied EMF V is opposed by two back EMF's:

V = L1 I&1 + MI&2. 13.10.2

That is to say V = jωL1 I1 + jωMI 2 . 13.10.3

Similarly for the secondary circuit:

0 = jωMI 1 + jωL2 I 2 + RI 2 . 13.10.4

These are two simultaneous equations for the currents, and we can (with a small effort) solve them
for I1 and I2:

 RL1  ωL1 L2   L2 R 
 M + j  M − ωM  I1 =  M − j ωM  V 13.10.5
    

  ωM 2   MV .
and 
 R + j  ωL2 −  I 2 = − 13.10.6
  L1  L1

This would be easier to understand if we were to do the necessary algebra to write these in the
forms I1 = ( a + jb )V and I 2 = ( c + jd )V . We could then easily see the phase relationships
between the current and V as well as the peak values of the currents. There is no reason why we
should not try this, but I am going to be a bit lazy before I do it, and I am going to assume that we
have a well designed transformer in which the secondary coil is really tightly wound around the
primary, and M = L1 L2 . If you wish, you may carry on with a less efficient transformer, with
M = k L1 L2 , where k is a coupling coefficient less than 1, but I'm going to stick with
M = L1 L2 . In that case, equations 13.10.5 and 6 eventually take the forms

 L 1   N2 1 
I1 =  2 − j  V =  22 − j V 13.10.7
 L1 R L1ω   N1 R L1ω 

1 L2 N
and I2 = − V = − 2 V. 13.10.8
R L1 N1 R

These equations will tell us, on examination, the magnitudes of the currents, and their phases
relative to V.
 15
Now look at the circuit shown in figure XIII.13.

I1

V = Vˆe jωt
i L1
 N1 

N
 R
 2

FIGURE XIII.13

In figure XIII.13 we have a resistance R( N1 / N 2 ) 2 in parallel with an inductance L1. The

admittances of these two elements are, respectively, ( N 2 / N1) 2 / R and − j / ( L1ω) , so the total
N 22 1 .
admittance is − j Thus, as far as the relationship between current and voltage is
2
N1 R L1ω
concerned, the primary circuit of the transformer is precisely equivalent to the circuit drawn in
figure XIII.13. To see the relationship between I1 and V, we need look no further than figure
XIII.13.

Likewise, equation 13.10.8 shows us that the relationship between I2 and V is exactly as if we had
an AC generator of EMF N 2 E / N1 connected across R, as in figure XIII.14.

N1 ˆ jωt
N2
Ve i R

FIGURE XIII.14

Note that, if the secondary is short-circuited (i.e. if R = 0 and if the resistance of the secondary coil
is literally zero) both the primary and secondary current become infinite. If the secondary circuit is
left open (i.e. R = ∞), the secondary current is zero (as expected), and the primary current, also as
 16
expected, is not zero but is − jV / ( L1ω) ; That is to say, the current is of magnitude V / ( L1ω) and it
lags behind the voltage by 90o, just as if the secondary circuit were not there.
 1
CHAPTER 14
LAPLACE TRANSFORMS

14.1 Introduction

If y(x) is a function of x, where x lies in the range 0 to ∞, then the function y ( p), defined by

∞
y ( p) = ∫ 0
e − px y ( x)dx , 14.1.1

is called the Laplace transform of y(x). However, in this chapter, where we shall be applying
Laplace transforms to electrical circuits, y will most often be a voltage or current that is varying
with time rather than with "x". Thus I shall use t as our variable rather than x, and I shall use s
rather than p (although it will be noted that, as yet, I have given no particular physical meaning to
either p or to s.) Thus I shall define the Laplace transform with the notation

∞
y ( s) = ∫ 0
e − st y (t )dt, 14.1.2

it being understood that t lies in the range 0 to ∞.

For short, I could write this as

y ( s) = L y ( t ) . 14.1.3

When we first learned differential calculus, we soon learned that there were just a few functions
whose derivatives it was worth committing to memory. Thus we learned the derivatives
of x n , sin x , e x and a very few more. We found that we could readily find the derivatives of more
complicated functions by means of a few simple rules, such as how to differentiate a product of two
functions, or a function of a function, and so on. Likewise, we have to know only a very few basic
Laplace transforms; there are a few simple rules that will enable us to calculate more complicated
ones.

After we had learned differential calculus, we came across integral calculus. This was the inverse
process from differentiation. We had to ask: What function would we have had to differentiate in
order to arrive at this function? It was as though we were given the answer to a problem, and had
to deduce what the question was. It will be a similar situation with Laplace transforms. We shall
often be given a function y ( s), and we shall want to know: what function y(t) is this the Laplace
transform of? In other words, we shall need to know the inverse Laplace transform:

y ( t ) = L−1 y ( s). 14.1.4

We shall find that facility in calculating Laplace transforms and their inverses leads to very quick
ways of solving some types of differential equations – in particular the types of differential
equations that arise in electrical theory. We can use Laplace transforms to see the relations
between varying current and voltages in circuits containing resistance, capacitance and inductance.
 2
However, these methods are quick and convenient only if we are in constant daily practice in
dealing with Laplace transforms with easy familiarity. Few of us, unfortunately, have the luxury of
calculating Laplace transforms and their inverses on a daily basis, and they lose many of their
advantages if we have to refresh our memories and regain our skills every time we may want to use
them. It may therefore be asked: Since we already know perfectly well how to do AC calculations
using complex numbers, is there any point in learning what just amounts to another way of doing
the same thing? There is an answer to that. The theory of AC circuits that we developed in
Chapter 13 using complex numbers to find the relations between current and voltages dealt
primarily with steady state conditions, in which voltages and current were varying sinusoidally. It
did not deal with the transient effects that might happen in the first few moments after we switch
on an electrical circuit, or situations where the time variations are not sinusoidal. The Laplace
transform approach will deal equally well with steady state, sinusoidal, non-sinusoidal and transient
situations.

14.2 Table of Laplace Transforms

It is easy, by using equation 14.1.2, to derive all of the transforms shown in the following table, in
which t > 0. (Do it!)

y(t) y ( s)

1 1/s

t 1/s2

t n −1
1/sn
( n − 1)!

a
sin at
s + a2
2

s
cos at
s + a2
2

a
sinh at
s − a2
2

s
cosh at
s − a2
2

1
eat
s−a
 3
This table can, of course, be used to find inverse Laplace transforms as well as direct transforms.
1
Thus, for example, L−1 = e t . In practice, you may find that you are using it more often to
s −1
find inverse transforms than direct transforms.

These are really all the transforms that it is necessary to know – and they need not be committed to
memory if this table is handy. For more complicated functions, there are rules for finding the
transforms, as we shall see in the following sections, which introduce a number of theorems.
Although I shall derive some of these theorems, I shall merely state others, though perhaps with an
example. Many (not all) of them are straightforward to prove, but in any case I am more anxious to
introduce their applications to circuit theory than to write a formal course on the mathematics of
Laplace transforms.

After you have understood some of these theorems, you may well want to apply them to a number
of functions and hence greatly expand your table of Laplace transforms with results that you will
discover on application of the theorems.

14.3 The First Integration Theorem

t y (s) .
The theorem is: L∫ y ( x)dx = 14.3.1
0 s

Before deriving this theorem, here's a quick example to show what it means. The theorem is most
y (s) t
useful, as in this example, for finding an inverse Laplace transform. I.e. L−1 = ∫ y ( x)dx.
s 0

1 .
Calculate L −1
s( s − a )

1
Solution. From the table, we see that L−1 = e at . The integration theorem tells us that
s−a
1 t
L−1 = ∫ e ax dx = (e at −1) / a. You should now verify that this is the correct answer by
s ( s −a ) 0

substituting this in equation 14.1.2 and integrating – or (and!) using the table of Laplace transforms.

The proof of the theorem is just a matter of integrating by parts. Thus

t
L∫ y ( x) dx =
0 ∫  ∫
0
∞

0
t


1 ∞ t
s 0 0 
( )
y ( x)dx  e − st dt = − ∫  ∫ y ( x)dx  d e − st

∞
 1 t  1 ∞
=  − e − st ∫ y ( x)dx  + ∫ e − st y (t ) dt.
 s 0
 t =0 s 0
 4

The expression in brackets is zero at both limits, and therefore the theorem is proved.

14.4 The Second Integration Theorem (Dividing a Function by t)

This theorem looks very like the first integration theorem, but "the other way round". It is

 y (t )  ∞
L
 t 
 = ∫ s
y ( x)dx. 14.4.1

I'll leave it for the reader to derive the theorem. Here I just give an example of its use. Whereas the
first integration theorem is most useful in finding inverse transforms, the second integration
theorem is more useful for finding direct transforms.

 sin at 
Example: Calculate L .
 t 

∞ e − st sin at
This means calculate ∫ 0 t
dt.

While this integral can no doubt be done, you may find it a bit daunting, and the second integration
theorem provides an alternative way of doing it, resulting in an easier integral.

Note that the right hand side of equation 14.4.1 is a function of s, not of x, which is just a dummy
variable. The function y ( x ) is the Laplace transform, with x as argument, of y(t). In our particular
a . The second integration theorem , then,
case, y(t) is sin at, so that, from the table, y ( x ) = 2
a + x2
 sin at  ∞ a
tells us that L  = ∫s 2 2 dx. This is a much easier integral. It is
 t  a +x
∞
 −1  x  π −1  s  −1  a 
 tan  a  = 2 − tan  a  = tan  s . You may want to add this result to your table of
   s    
Laplace integrals. Indeed, you may already want to expand the table considerably by applying both
integration theorems to several functions.

14.5 Shifting Theorem

This is a very useful theorem, and one that is almost trivial to prove. (Try it!) It is

( )
L e − at y (t ) = y ( s +a ). 14.5.1

For example, from the table, we have L(t ) = 1/ s 2. The shifting theorem tells us that
 5
L(te ) = 1 /( s + a) . I'm sure you will now want to expand your table even more. Or you may
− at 2

want to go the other way, and cut down the table a bit! After all, you know that L(1) = 1/s. The
shifting theorem, then, tells you that L(eat) = 1/(s − a), so that entry in the table is superfluous!
Note that you can use the theorem to deduce either direct or inverse transforms.

14.6 A Function Times tn

I'll just give this one with out proof:

d2y .
For n a positive integer, L ( t n y ) = ( −1) n 14.6.1
dsn

Example: What is L ( t 2 e − t ) ?

Answer: For y = e −t , y = 1 / ( s + 1) . ∴ L ( t 2 e − t ) = 2 / ( s + 1) 3 .

Before proceeding further, I strongly recommend that you now apply theorems 14.3.1, 14.4.1,
14.5.1 and 14.6.1 to the several entries in your existing table of Laplace transforms and greatly
expand your table of Laplace transforms. For example, you can already add
− at 2 −t
(sin at ) / t , te and t e to the list of functions for which you have calculated the Laplace
transforms.

14.7 Differentiation Theorem

 dny  dy   d2y  d n−2 y   d n −1 y 

L n  = s n y − s n −1 y0 − s n − 2   − s n −3  2  − K K − s n − 2  −  n −1  . 14.7.1
 dt   dt  0  dt  0  dt  0  dt  0

This looks formidable, and you will be tempted to skip it – but don't, because it is essential!
However, to make it more palatable, I'll point out that one rarely, if ever, needs derivatives higher
than the second, so I'll re-write this for the first and second derivatives, and they will look much
less frightening.

Ly& = sy − y0 14.7.2

and L&y& = s 2 y − sy0 − y& 0. 14.7.3

Here, the subscript zero means "evaluated at t = 0".

Equation 14.7.2 is easily proved by integration by parts:

y = Ly = ∫
0
∞
ye − st dt = −
1 ∞
s ∫ 0
1
[
yde − st = − ye − st
s
] ∞
0 +
1 ∞ − st
s ∫t =0
e dy
 6
1 1 1 1
= y0 + ∫ y& dt = y0 + Ly&. 14.7.4
s s s s

∴ Ly& = sy − y0. 14.7.5

From this, L&y& = sy& − y& 0 = sLy& − y& 0 = s ( sy − y0 ) − y& 0 = s 2 y − sy0 − y& 0. 14.7.6

Apply this over and over again, and you arrive at equation 14.7.1

14.8 A First Order Differential Equation

Solve y& + 2 y = 3tet , with initial condition y0 = 0.

If you are in good practice with solving this type of equation, you will probably multiply it through
by e2t, so that it becomes

d
dt
( )
ye 2t = 3te3t ,

from which y = ( t − 13 ) e t + Ce −2t .

(You can now substitute this back into the original differential equation, to verify that it is indeed
the correct solution.)

With the given initial condition, it is quickly found that C = 1

3
, so that the solution is

y = te t − 13 e t + 13 e −2t .

Now, here's the same solution, using Laplace transforms.

We take the Laplace transform of both sides of the original differential equation:

3
sy + 2 y = 3L ( te t ) = .
( s − 1) 2

3 .
Thus y =
( s + 2 )( s − 1) 2

1 1  1 1  1
Partial fractions: y =   −   + .
3  s +2  3  s −1  ( s −1) 2
 7
−2 t
Inverse transforms: y = 1
3 e − 13 e + te t .
t

You will probably admit that you can follow this, but will say that you can do this at speed only
after a great deal of practice with many similar equations. But this is equally true of the first
method, too.

14.9 A Second Order Differential Equation

Solve &y& − 4 y& + 3 y = e −t

with initial conditions y0 = 1, y& 0 = − 1.

You probably already know some method for solving this equation, so please go ahead and do it.
Then, when you have finished, look at the solution by Laplace transforms.

Laplace transform: s2 y − s + 1 − 4( sy − 1) + 3 y = 1 / ( s + 1).

(My! Wasn't that fast!)

1 s−5 .
A little algebra: y = +
( s − 3)( s − 1)( s + 1) ( s − 3)( s − 1)

1 1 2 1  2 1 ,
Partial fractions: y =  − +  + −
8  s−3 s−1 s+1  s−1 s−3

1 1  7 1  7 1 
or y =   +   −  .
8  s+ 1  4  s−1  8  s−3 

Inverse transforms: y = 81 e − t + 74 e t − 78 e 3t , and you can verify that this is correct by

substitution in the original differential equation.

So: We have found a new way of solving differential equations. If (but only if) we have a lot of
practice in manipulating Laplace transforms, and have used the various manipulations to prepare a
slightly larger table of transforms from the basic table given above, and we can go from t to s and
from s to t with equal facility, we can believe that our new method can be both fast and easy.

But, what has this to do with electrical circuits? Read on.

 8
14.10 Generalized Impedance

We have dealt in Chapter 13 with a sinusoidally varying voltage applied to an inductance, a

resistance and a capacitance in series. The equation that governs the relation between voltage and
current is

V = LI& + RI +Q /C. 14.10.1

If we multiply by C, differentiate with respect to time, and write I for Q& , this becomes just

CV& = LCI&& + RCI& + I. 14.10.2

If we suppose that the applied voltage V is varying sinusoidally (that is, V = Vˆe jωt , or, if you
prefer, V = Vˆ sin ωt ), then the operator d 2 / dt 2 , or "double dot", is equivalent to multiplying by
−ω 2 , and the operator d / dt , or "dot", is equivalent to multiplying by jω. Thus equation 14.10.2 is
equivalent to

jωCV = − LC ω 2 I + jRC ωI + I . 14.10.3

That is, V = [ R + jL ω + 1/ jCω )] I . 14.10.4

The complex expression inside the brackets is the now familiar impedance Z, and we can write

V = IZ . 14.10.5

But what if V is not varying sinusoidally? Suppose that V is varying in some other manner, perhaps
not even periodically? This might include, as one possible example, the situation where V is
constant and not varying with time at all. But whether or not V varying with time, equation 14.10.2
is still valid – except that, unless the time variation is sinusoidally, we cannot substitute jω for d/dt.
We are faced with having to solve the differential equation 10.4.2.

But we have just learned a neat new way of solving differential equations of this type. We can take
the Laplace transform of each side of the equation. Thus

CV& = LCI&& + RCI& + I . 14.10.6

Now we are going to make use of the differentiation theorem, equations 14.7.2 and 14.7.3.

C ( sV −V0 ) = LC ( s 2 I − sI 0 − I&0 ) + RC ( sI − I 0 ) + I . 14.10.7

Let us suppose that, at t = 0, V0 and I0 are both zero – i.e. before t = 0 a switch was open, and we
close the switch at t = 0. Furthermore, since the circuit contains inductance, the current cannot
change instantaneously, and, since it contains capacitance, the voltage cannot change
instantaneously, so the equation becomes
 9

V = ( R + Ls + 1 / Cs) I . 14.10.8

This is so regardless of the form of the variation of V: it could be sinusoidal, it could be constant,
or it could be something quite different. This is a generalized Ohm's law. The generalized
1 .
impedance of the circuit is R + Ls + Recall that in the complex number treatment of a
Cs
1 .
steady-state sinusoidal voltage, the complex impedance was R + jL ω +
jCω

To find out how the current varies, all we have to do is to take the inverse Laplace transform of

V
I = . 14.10.9
R + Ls + 1/( Cs)

We look at a couple of examples in the next sections.

14.11 RLC Series Transient

A battery of constant EMF V is connected to a switch, and an R, L and C in series. The switch is
closed at time t = 0. We'll first solve this problem by "conventional" methods; then by Laplace
transforms. The reader who is familiar with the mechanics of damped oscillatory motion, such as is
dealt with in Chapter 11 of the Classical Mechanics notes of this series, may have an advantage
over the reader for whom this topic is new – though not necessarily so!

"Ohm's law" is V = Q / C + RI + LI&, 14.11.1

or && + RCQ& + Q = CV .
LCQ 14.11.2

Those who are familiar with this type of equation will recognize that the general solution
(complementary function plus particular integral) is

Q = Ae λ1t + Be λ 2 t + CV , 14.11.3

R R2 1 R R2 1
where λ1 = − + 2
− and λ2 = − − 2
− . 14.11.4
2L 4L LC 2L 4L LC

(Those who are not familiar with the solution of differential equations of this type should not give
up here. Just go on to the part where we do this by Laplace transforms. You'll soon be streaking
ahead of your more learned colleagues, who will be struggling for a while.)
 10
2
R 1
Case I. 2
− is positive. For short I'm going to write equations 14.11.4 as
4L LC

λ 1 = − a + k and λ 2 = − a − k . 14.11.5

Then Q = Ae − ( a − k ) t + Be − ( a + k ) t + CV 14.11.6

and, by differentiation with respect to time,

I = − A( a − k ) e − ( a − k ) t − B ( a + k ) e − ( a + k ) t . 14.11.7

At t = 0, Q and I are both zero, from which we find that

( a + k ) CV ( a − k ) CV .
A = − and B = 14.11.8
2k 2k

  a + k  −( a − k ) t  a − k  −( a + k ) t 
Thus Q = −  e +  e + 1 CV 14.11.9
  2k   2k  

 a 2 − k 2  −( a − k )t 
and I =   (e − e −( a + k ) t ) CV . 14.11.10
 2k  

On recalling the meanings of a and k and the sinh function, and a little algebra, we obtain

V − at
I = e sinh kt . 14.11.11
Lk

Exercise: Verify that this equation is dimensionally correct. Draw a graph of I : t. The current is,
of course, zero at t = 0 and ∞. What is the maximum current, and when does it occur?

R2 1
Case II. 2
− is zero. In this case, those who are in practice with differential equations
4L LC
will obtain for the general solution

Q = e λt ( A + Bt ) + CV , 14.11.12

where λ = − R / (2 L) , 14.11.13

from which I = λ ( A + Bt ) e λt + Be λt . 14.11.14

After applying the initial conditions that Q and I are initially zero, we obtain
 11
  Rt  − R t /( 2 L ) 
Q = CV 1 − 1 − e  14.11.15
  2L  

V − Rt /( 2 L )
and I = te . 14.11.16
L

As in case II, this starts and ends at zero and goes through a maximum, and you may wish to
calculate what the maximum current is and when it occurs.

R2 1
Case III. 2
− is negative. In this case, I am going to write equations 14.11.4 as
4L LC

λ 1 = − a + jω and λ 2 = − a − jω , 14.11.17

R 1 R2 .
where a = and ω 2 = − 14.11.18
2L LC 4 L2

All that is necessary, then, is to repeat the analysis for Case I, but to substitute −ω2 for k2 and jω
for k, and, provided that you know that sinh jωt = j sin ωt , you finish with

V − at
I = e sin ωt . 14.11.19
Lω

This is lightly damped oscillatory motion.

Now let us try the same problem using Laplace transforms. Recall that we have a V in series with
an R , L and C, and that initially Q, I and I& are all zero. (The circuit contains capacitance, so Q
cannot change instantaneously; it contains inductance, so I cannot change instantaneously.)

Immediately, automatically and with scarcely a thought, our first line is the generalized Ohm's law,
with the Laplace transforms of V and I and the generalized impedance:

V = [R + Ls + 1 /(Cs )]I . 14.11.20

Since V is constant, reference to the very first entry in your table of transforms shows that
V = V / s , and so

V V
I = = , 14.11.21
s [R + Ls + 1 /(Cs )] L( s + bs + c)
2

where b = R / L and c = 1 / ( LC ) . 14.11.22

 12
Case I. b > 4c .
2

V 1  V  1  1 1 
I =   =   − . 14.11.23
L  ( s − α)( s − β)  L  α − β  s − α s − β 

Here, of course, 2α = − b + b 2 − 4 c and 2β = − b − b 2 − 4 c 14.11.24

On taking the inverse transforms, we find that

V  1  αt
I =  (e − eβt ). 14.11.25
L  α − β) 

From there it is a matter of routine algebra (do it!) to show that this is exactly the same as equation
14.11.11.

In order to arrive at this result, it wasn't at all necessary to know how to solve differential equations.
All that was necessary was to understand generalized impedance and to look up a table of Laplace
transforms.

Case II. b 2 = 4 c .

In this case, equation 14.11.21 is of the form

V. 1
I = , 14.11.26
L ( s − α)2

where α = − 21 b. If you have dutifully expanded your original table of Laplace transforms, as
suggested, you will probably already have an entry for the inverse transform of the right hand side.
If not, you know that the Laplace transform of t is 1/s2, so you can just apply the shifting theorem to
see that the Laplace transform of t eαt is 1 / ( s − α ) 2 . Thus

V αt
I = te 14.11.27
L

which is the same as equation 14.11.16.

[Gosh – what could be quicker and easier than that!?]

Case III. b 2 < 4c .

This time, we'll complete the square in the denominator of equation 14.11. 21:
 13

V. 1 V ω
I = = , 14.11.28
L ( s + 2 b) + (c − 4 b )
1 2 1 2
L ω ( s + 2 b) 2 + ω 2
1

where I have introduced ω with obvious notation.

On taking the inverse transform (from our table, with a little help from the shifting theorem) we
obtain
V . − 21 bt
I = e sin ωt , 14.11.29
Lω

which is the same as equation 14.11.19.

With this brief introductory chapter to the application of Laplace transforms to electrical circuitry,
we have just opened a door by a tiny crack to glimpse the potential great power of this method.
With practice, it can be used to solve complicated problems of many sorts with great rapidity. All
we have so far is a tiny glimpse. I shall end this chapter with just one more example, in the hope
that this short introduction will whet the reader's appetite to learn more about this technique.

14.12 Another Example

+
R − I1+ I2 I1 + R −

+ +
I2
+
V − C Q2 C− Q1
−

FIGURE XIV.1

The circuit in figure XIV.1 contains two equal resistances, two equal capacitances, and a battery.
The battery is connected at time t = 0. Find the charges held by the capacitors after time t.

Apply Kirchhoff’s second rule to each half:

(Q&1 + Q& 2 ) RC + Q2 = CV , 14.12.1

and Q&1 RC + Q1 − Q2 = 0. 14.12.2

Eliminate Q2:

&& + 3RCQ + Q = CV .
R 2C 2Q 14.12.3
1 1 1

Transform, with Q1 and Q&1 initially zero:

 14
CV
( R 2C 2 s 2 + 3RCs + 1)Q1 = . 14.12.4
s

1 .V ,
I.e. R 2CQ1 = 14.12.5
s( s + 3as + a 2 )
2

where a = 1 /( RC ). 14.12.6

1
That is R 2CQ1 = V. 14.12.7
s( s + 2.618a )( s + 0.382a)

1 0.1708 1.1708  V
Partial fractions: R 2CQ1 =  + −  . 14.12.8
s s + 2.618a s + 0.382a  a 2

1 0.1708 1.1708 
That is, Q1 =  + − CV . 14.12.8
s s + 2.618a s + 0.382a 

Inverse transform: [ ]
Q1 = 1 + 0.1708e −2.618 t /( RC ) − 1.1708e −0.382 t /( RC ) . 14.12.9

The current can be found by differentiation.

I leave it to the reader to eliminate Q1 from equations 14.12.1 and 2 and hence to show that

[
Q2 = 1 − 0.2764e −2.618 t /( RC ) − 0.7236e −0.382 t /( RC ) . ] 14.12.10
 1
CHAPTER 15
MAXWELL'S EQUATIONS

15.1 Introduction

One of Newton's great achievements was to show that all of the phenomena of classical mechanics
can be deduced as consequences of three basic, fundamental laws, namely Newton's laws of
motion. It was likewise one of Maxwell's great achievements to show that all of the phenomena of
classical electricity and magnetism – all of the phenomena discovered by Oersted, Ampère, Henry,
Faraday and others whose names are commemorated in several electrical units – can be deduced as
consequences of four basic, fundamental equations. We describe these four equations in this
chapter, and, in passing, we also mention Poisson's and Laplace's equations. We also show how
Maxwell's equations predict the existence of electromagnetic waves that travel at a speed of 3 % 108
m s−1. This is the speed at which light is measured to move, and one of the most important bases of
our belief that light is an electromagnetic wave.

Before embarking upon this, we may need a reminder of two mathematical theorems, as well as a
reminder of the differential equation that describes wave motion.

The two mathematical theorems that we need to remind ourselves of are:

The surface integral of a vector field over a closed surface is equal to the volume integral of its
divergence.

The line integral of a vector field around a closed plane curve is equal to the surface integral of its
curl.

A function f ( x − vt ) represents a function that is moving with speed v in the positive x-direction,
and a function g ( x + vt ) represents a function that is moving with speed v in the negative x-
direction. It is easy to verify by substitution that y = Af + Bg is a solution of the differential
equation

d2y 2
2 d y.
= v 15.1.1
dt 2 dx 2

Indeed it is the most general solution, since f and g are quite general functions, and the function y
already contains the only two arbitrary integration constants to be expected from a second order
differential equation. Equation 15.1.1 is, then, the differential equation for a wave in one
dimension. For a function ψ ( x , y , z ) in three dimensions, the corresponding wave equation is

ψ
&& = v 2∇ 2 ψ. 15.1.2

It is easy to remember which side of the equation v2 is on from dimensional considerations.

 2

One last small point before proceeding – I may be running out of symbols! I may need to refer to
surface charge density, a scalar quantity for which the usual symbol is σ. I shall also need to refer
to magnetic vector potential, for which the usual symbol is A. And I shall need to refer to area, for
which either of the symbols A or σ are commonly used – or, if the vector nature of area is to be
emphasized, A or σ. What I shall try to do, then, to avoid this difficulty, is to use A for magnetic
vector potential, and σ for area, and I shall try to avoid using surface charge density in any
equation. However, the reader is warned to be on the lookout and to be sure what each symbol
means in a particular context.

15.2 Maxwell's First Equation

Maxwell's first equation, which describes the electrostatic field, is derived immediately from
Gauss's theorem, which in turn is a consequence of Coulomb's inverse square law. Gauss's theorem
states that the surface integral of the electrostatic field D over a closed surface is equal to the charge
enclosed by that surface. That is

∫ surface
D • dσ = ∫ volume
ρ dv . 15.2.1

Here ρ is the charge per unit volume.

But the surface integral of a vector field over a closed surface is equal to the volume integral of its
divergence, and therefore

∫ volume
divD dv = ∫ ρ dv .
volume
15.2.2

Therefore div D = ρ , 15.2.3

or, in the nabla notation, ∇ • D = ρ. 15.2.4

This is the first of Maxwell's equations.

15.3 Poisson's and Laplace's Equations

Equation 15.2.4 can be written ∇ • E = ρ / ε . where ε is the permittivity. But E is minus the
potential gradient; i.e. E = − ∇V. Therefore,

∇2 V = − ρ / ε . 15.3.1

This is Poisson's equation. At a point in space where the charge density is zero, it becomes

∇2 V = 0 , 15.3.2
 3

which is generally known as Laplace's equation. Thus, regardless of how many charged bodies
there may be an a place of interest, and regardless of their shape or size, the potential at any point
can be calculated from Poisson's or Laplace's equations. Courses in differential equations
commonly discuss how to solve these equations for a variety of boundary conditions – by which is
meant the size, shape and location of the various charged bodies and the charge carried by each. It
perhaps just needs to be emphasized that Poisson’s and Laplace’s equations apply only for static
fields.

15.4 Maxwell's Second Equation

Unlike the electrostatic field, magnetic fields have no sources or sinks, and the magnetic lines of
force are closed curves. Consequently the surface integral of the magnetic field over a closed
surface is zero, and therefore

div B = 0 , 15.4.1

or, in the nabla notation ∇ • B = 0. 15.4.2

This is the second of Maxwell's equations.

15.5 Maxwell's Third Equation

This is derived from Ampère's theorem, which is that the line integral of the magnetic field H
around a closed circuit is equal to the enclosed current.

Now there are two possible components to the "enclosed" current, one of which is obvious, and the
other, I suppose, could also be said to be "obvious" once it has been pointed out! Let's deal with
the immediately obvious one first, and look at figure XV.1.

FIGURE XV.1

J
 4

In figure XV.1, I am imagining a metal cylinder with current flowing from top to bottom (i.e.
electrons flowing from bottom to top. It needn't be a metal cylinder, though. It could just be a
volume of space with a stream of protons moving from top to bottom. In any case, the current
density (which may vary with distance from the axis of the cylinder) is J, and the total current
enclosed by the dashed circle is the integral of J throughout the cylinder. In a more general
geometry, in which J is not necessarily perpendicular to the area of interest, and indeed in which
the area need not be planar, this would be ∫ J • dσ.

Now for the less obvious component to the "enclosed current". See figure XV.2.

FIGURE XV.2

In figure XV.2, I imagine two capacitor plates in the process of being charged. There is
undoubtedly a current flowing in the connecting wires. There is a magnetic field at A, and the line
integral of the field around the upper dotted curve is undoubtedly equal to the enclosed current.
The current is equal to the rate at which charge is being built up on the plates. Electrons are being
deposited on the lower plate and are leaving the upper plate. There is also a magnetic field at B (it
doesn't suddenly stop!), and the field at B is just the same as the field at A, which is equal to the
rate at which charge is being built up on the plates. The charge on the plates (which may not be
uniform, and indeed won't be while the current is still flowing or if the plates are not infinite in
extent) is equal to the integral of the charge density times the area. And the charge density on the
plates, by Gauss's theorem, is equal to the electric field D between the plates. Thus the current is
equal to the integral of D& over the surface of the plates. Thus the line integral of H around either
of the dashed closed loops is equal to ∫ D& • dσ .
 5

In general, both types of current (the obvious one in which there is an obvious flow of charge, and
the less obvious one, where the electric field is varying because of a real flow of charge elsewhere)
contributes to the magnetic field, and so Ampère's theorem in general must read

∫ H • ds =
loop ∫ area
& + J ) • dσ.
(D 15.5.1

But the line integral of a vector field around a closed plane curve is equal to the surface integral of
its curl, and therefore

∫ area
curl H• dσ = ∫ area
& + J ) • dσ .
(D 15.5.2

Thus we arrive at:

& + J,
curl H = D 15.5.3

or, in the nabla notation, & + J.

∇× H = D 15.5.4

This is the third of Maxwell's equations.

15.6 The Magnetic Equivalent of Poisson's Equation

This deals with a static magnetic field, where there is no electrostatic field or at least any
electrostatic field is indeed static – i.e. not changing. In that case curl H = J . Now the magnetic
field can be derived from the curl of the magnetic vector potential, defined by the two equations

B = curl A 15.6.1

and div A = 0. 15.6.2

(See Chapter 9 for a reminder of this.) Together with H = B/µ (µ = permeability), this gives us

curl curl A = µJ . 15.6.3

If we now remind ourselves of the jabberwockian-sounding vector differential operator equivalence

curl curl ≡ grad div − nabla-squared , 15.6.4

together with equation 15.6.2, this gives us

∇ 2 A = −µJ . 15.6.5
 6
I don't know if this equation has any particular name, but it plays the same role for static magnetic
fields that Poisson's equation plays for electrostatic fields. No matter what the distribution of
currents, the magnetic vector potential at any point must obey equation 15.6.5

15.7 Maxwell's Fourth Equation

This is derived from the laws of electromagnetic induction.

Faraday's and Lenz's laws of electromagnetic induction tell us that the E.M.F. induced in a closed
circuit is equal to minus the rate of change of B-flux through the circuit. The E.M.F. around a
closed circuit is the line integral of E .ds around the circuit, where E is the electric field. The line
integral of E around the closed circuit is equal to the surface integral of its curl. The rate of change
of B-flux through a circuit is the surface integral of B& . Therefore

curl E = − B& , 15.7.1

or, in the nabla notation, ∇ × E = − B& . 15.7.2

This is the fourth of Maxwell's equations.

15.8 Summary of Maxwell's and Poisson's Equations

Maxwell's equations:

∇ • D =ρ 15.8.1

∇•B = 0. 15.8.2

& + J.
∇×H = D 15.8.3

∇ × E = − B& . 15.8.4

Sometimes you may see versions of these equations with factors such as 4π or c scattered liberally
throughout them. If you do, my best advice is to white them out with a bottle of erasing fluid, or
otherwise ignore them. I shall try to explain in Chapter 16 where they come from. They serve no
scientific purpose, and are merely conversion factors between the many different systems of units
that have been used in the past.

Poisson's equation for the potential in an electrostatic field:

∇ 2V = −ρ/ε . 15.8.5
 7
The equivalent of Poisson's equation for the magnetic vector potential on a static magnetic field:

∇ 2 A = −µJ . 15.8.6

15.9 Electromagnetic Waves

Maxwell predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves, and these were generated
experimentally by Hertz shortly afterwards. In addition, the predicted speed of the waves was
3 × 108 m s−1, the same as the measured speed of light, showing that light is an electromagnetic
wave.

In an isotropic, homogeneous, nonconducting, uncharged medium, where the permittivity and

permeability are scalar quantities, Maxwell's equations can be written

∇ • E =0 15.9.1

∇ • H=0 15.9.2

&.
∇ × H = εE 15.9.3

&.
∇ × E = − µH 15.9.4

Take the curl of equation 15.9.3, and make use of equation 15.6.4:

∂
grad div H − ∇ 2 H = ε curl E . 15.9.5
∂t

Substitute for div H and curl E from equations 15.9.2 and 15.9.4 to obtain

&& .
∇ 2 H = εµH 15.9.6

Comparison with equation 15.1.2 shows that this is a wave of speed 1/ εµ . (Verify that this has
the dimensions of speed.)

In a similar manner the reader should easily be able to derive the equation

&&.
∇ 2 E = εµE 15.9.7

In a vacuum, the speed is 1 / ε 0µ 0 . With µ0 = 4π % 10−7 H m−1 and ε0 = 8.854 % 10−12 F m−1,
this comes to 2.998 % 108 m s−1.
 8

15.10 Gauge Transformations

We recall (equation 9.1.1) that a static electric field E can be derived from the negative of the
gradient of a scalar potential function of space:

E = − grad V . 15.10.1

The zero of the potential is arbitrary. We can add any constant (with the dimensions of potential)
to V. For example, if we define V ' = V + C , where C is a constant (in the sense that it is not a
function of x, y, z) then we can still calculate the electric field from E = − grad V '.

We also recall (equation 9.2.1) that a static magnetic field B can be derived from the curl of a
magnetic vector potential function:

B = curl A. 15.10.2

Let us also recall here the concept of the B-flux from equation 6.10.1:

ΦB = ∫∫ B • dA . 15.10.3

It will be worth while here to recapitulate the dimensions and SI units of these quantities:

E MLT−2Q−1 V m−1

B MT−1Q−1 T

V ML2T−2Q−1 V

A MLT−1Q−1 Tm or Wb m−1

ΦΒ ML2T−1Q−1 T m2 or Wb

Equation 15.10.2 is also true for a nonstatic field. Thus a time-varying magnetic field can be
represented by the curl of a time-varying magnetic vector potential. However, we know from the
phenomenon of electromagnetic induction that a varying magnetic field has the same effect as an
electric field, so that, if the fields are not static, the electric field is the result of an electrical
potential gradient and a varying magnetic field, so that equation 15.10.1 holds only for static fields.

If we combine the Maxwell equation curl E = − B& with the equation for the definition of the
magnetic vector potential curl A = B, we obtain curl (E + A & ) = 0 . Then, since curl grad of any
scalar function is zero, we can define a potential function V such that
 9
& = − grad V .
E+A 15.10.4

(We could have chosen a plus sign, but we choose a minus sign so that it reduces to the familiar
E = − grad V for a static field.) Thus equations 15.10.4 and 15.10.2 define the electric and
magnetic potentials – or at least they define the gradient of V and the curl of A. But we recall that,
in the static case, we can add an arbitrary constant to V (as long as the constant is dimensionally
similar to V), and the equation E = − grad V ' , where V ' = V + C , still holds. Can we find a
suitable transformation for V and A such that equations 15.10.2 and 15.10.4 still hold in the
nonstatic case? Such a transformation would be a gauge transformation.

Let χ be some arbitrary scalar function of space and time. I demand little of the form of χ; indeed I
demand only two things. One is that it is a “well-behaved” function, in the sense that it is
everywhere and at all times single-valued, continuous and differentiable. The other is that it should
have dimensions ML2T−1Q−1. This is the same as the dimensions of magnetic B-flux, but I am not
sure that it is particularly helpful to think of this. It will, however, be useful to note that the
dimensions of grad χ and of χ& are, respectively, the same as the dimensions of magnetic vector
potential (A) and of electric potential (V).

Let us make the transformations

A' = A − grad χ 15.10.5

and V ' = V + χ& . 15.10.6

We shall see very quickly that this transformation (and we have a wide choice in the form of χ)
preserves the forms of equations 15.10.2 and 15.10.4, and therefore this transformation (or, rather,
these transformations, since χ can have any well-behaved form) are gauge transformations.

Thus curl A = B becomes curl ( A' + grad χ) = B. And since curl grad of any scalar field is zero,
this becomes curl A' = B .
Also, grad V = − (E + A &)
& ' + gradχ& ) , or grad V ' = − (E + A
becomes grad (V ' − χ& ) = − (E + A & ').

Thus the form of the equations is preserved. If we make a gauge transformation to the potentials
such as equations 15.10.5 and 15.10.6, this does not change the fields E and B, so that the fields E
and B are gauge invariant. Maxwell’s equations in their usual form are expressed in terms of E
and B, and are hence gauge invariant.
 10
15.11 Maxwell’s Equations in Potential Form

In their usual form, Maxwell’s equations for an isotropic medium, written in terms of the fields, are

div D = ρ 15.11.1

div B = 0 15.11.2

& +J
curl H = D 15.11.3

curl E = − B& . 15.11.4

If we write the fields in terms of the potentials:

& − grad V
E = −A 15.11.5

and B = curl A, 15.11.6

together with D = εE and B = µH, we obtain for the first Maxwell equation, after some vector
calculus and algebra,

' ∇ 2V +
∂
∂t
ρ
(div A) = − .
ε
15.11.7

For the second equation, we merely verify that zero is equal to zero. (div curl A = 0.)

For the third equation, which requires a little more vector calculus and algebra, we obtain

' ∇ 2 A − εµ
∂2A
∂t 2

= grad div A + εµ

∂V 
 − µJ.
∂t 
15.11.8

The speed of electromagnetic waves in the medium is 1 / εµ , and, in a vacuum, equation 15.11.8
becomes

' ∇2A −
1 ∂2A
c ∂t
2 2


1 ∂V 
= grad div A + 2
c ∂t 
 − µ 0 J, 15.11.9

where c is the speed of electromagnetic waves in a vacuum.

The fourth Maxwell equation, when written in terms of the potentials, tells us nothing new (try it),
so equations 15.11.7 and 15.11.8 (or 15.11.9 in vacuo) are Maxwell’s equations in potential form.
 11
These equations look awfully difficult – but perhaps we can find a gauge transformation, using
some form for χ, and subtracting grad ξ from A and adding ξ& to V, which will make the equations
much easier and which will still give the right answers for E and for B.

One of the things that make equations 15.11.7 and 15.11.9 look particularly difficult is that each
equation contains both A and V; that is, we have two simultaneous differential equations to solve
for the two potentials. It would be nice if we had one equation for A and one equation for V. This
can be achieved, as we shall shortly see, if we can find a gauge transformation such that the
potentials are related by

1 ∂V .
div A = − 15.11.10
c 2 ∂t

You should check that the two sides of this equation are dimensionally similar. What would be the
SI units?

You’ll see that this is chosen so as to make the “difficult” part of equation 15.11.9 zero.

If we make a gauge transformation and take the divergence of equation 15.10.5 and the time
derivative of equation 15.10.6, we then see that condition 15.11.10 will be satisfied by a function χ
that satisfies
1 ∂ 2ξ 1 ∂V ' .
∇ 2 ξ − 2 2 = − div A' − 2 15.11.11
c ∂t c ∂t

Don’t worry – you don’t have to solve this equation and find the function χ; you just have to be
assured that some such function exists such that, when applied to the potentials, the potentials will
be related by equation 15.11.10. Then, if you substitute equation 15.11.10 into Maxwell’s
equations in potential form (equations 15.11.7 and 15.11.9), you obtain the following forms for
Maxwell’s equations in vacuo in potential form, and the A and V are now separated:

' 2 1 ∂ 2V
∇V − 2 2 = −
c ∂t
ρ
ε0
15.11.12

and ' ∇2A −

1 ∂2A
c 2 ∂t 2
= − µ0J . 15.11.13

And, since these equations were arrived at by a gauge transformation, their solutions, when
differentiated, will give the right answers for the fields.
 12
15.12 Retarded Potential

In a static situation, in which the charge density ρ, the current density J, the electric field E and
potential V, and the magnetic field B and potential A are all constant in time (i.e. they are functions
of x, y and z but not of t) we already know how to calculate, in vacuo, the electric potential from the
electric charge densityand the magnetic potential from the current density. The formulas are

1 ρ( x' , y ' , z ' ) dv '

V ( x, y , z ) =
4πε0 ∫ R
15.12.1

µ 0 J ( x' , y ' , z ' ) dv '

4π ∫
and A ( x, y , z ) = . 15.12.2
R

Here R is the distance between the point ( x' , y ' , z ' ) and the point ( x, y, z ), and v ' is a volume
element at the point ( x' , y ' , z ' ) . I can’t remember if we have written these two equations in exactly
that form before, but we have certainly used them, and given lots of examples of calculating V in
Chapter 2, and one of calculating A in Section 9.3.

The question we are now going to address is whether these formulas are still valid in a nonstatic
situation, in which the charge density ρ, the current density J, the electric field E and potential V,
and the magnetic field B and potential A are all varying in time (i.e. they are functions of x, y, z and
t). The answer is “yes, but…”. The relevant formulas are indeed

1 ρ( x' , y ' , z ' , t ' ) dv '

V ( x, y , z , t ) =
4πε0 ∫ R
15.12.3

µ 0 J ( x' , y ' , z ' , t ' ) dv '

4π ∫
and A ( x, y , z , t ) = , 15.12.4
R

…but notice the t ' on the right hand side and the t on the left hand side! What this means is that, if
ρ( x' , y ' , z ' , t ' ) is the charge density at a point ( x' , y ' , z ' ) at time t ' , equation 15.12.3 gives the
correct potential at the point ( x' , y ' , z ' ) at some slightly later time t, the time difference t − t ' being
equal to the time R/c that it takes for an electromagnetic signal to travel from ( x' , y ' , z ' ) to ( x, y, z ) .
If the charge density at ( x' , y ' , z ' ) changes, the information about this change cannot reach the point
instantaneously; it takes a time R/c for the information to be transmitted from one point to another.
The same considerations apply to the change in the magnetic potential when the current density
changes, as described by equation 15.12.4. The potentials so calculated are called, naturally, the
retarded potentials. While this result has been arrived at by a qualitative argument, in fact
equations 15.12.3 and 4 can be obtained as a solution of the differential equations 15.11.12 and 13.
Mathematically there is also a solution that gives an “advance potential” – that is, one in which
t ' − t rather than t − t ' is equal to R/c. You can regard, if you wish, the retarded solution as the
“physically acceptable” solution and discard the “advance” solution as not being physically
significant. That is, the potential cannot predict in advance that the charge density is about to
 13
change, and so change its value before the charge density does. Alternatively one can think that the
laws of physics, from the mathematical view at least, allow the universe to run equally well
backward as well as forward, though in fact the arrow of time is such that cause must precede effect
(a condition which, in relativity, leads to the conclusion that information cannot be transmitted
from one place to another at a speed faster than the speed of light). One is also reminded that the
laws of physics, from the mathematical view at least, allow the entropy of an isolated
thermodynamical system to decrease (see Section 7.4 in the Thermodynamics part of these notes) –
although in the real universe the arrow of time is such that the entropy in fact increases. Recall also
the following passage from Through the Looking-glass and What Alice Found There.

Alice was just beginning to say, "There's a mistake somewhere -- -" when the Queen began screaming, so
loud that she had to leave the sentence unfinished. "Oh, oh, oh!" shouted the Queen, shaking her hand
about as if she wanted to shake it off. "My finger's bleeding! Oh, oh, oh, oh!"

Her screams were so exactly like the whistle of a steam-engine, that Alice had to hold both her hands over
her ears.

"What is the matter?" she said, as soon as there was a chance of making herself heard. "Have you pricked
your finger?"

"I haven't pricked it yet" the Queen said, "but I soon shall -- -oh, oh, oh!"

"When do you expect to do it?" Alice asked, feeling very much inclined to laugh.

"When I fasten my shawl again," the poor Queen groaned out: "the brooch will come undone directly. Oh,
oh!" As she said the words the brooch flew open, and the Queen clutched wildly at it, and tried to clasp it
again.

"Take care!" cried Alice. "You're holding it all crooked!" And she caught at the brooch; but it was too late:
the pin had slipped, and the Queen had pricked her finger.

"That accounts for the bleeding, you see," she said to Alice with a smile. "Now you understand the way
things happen here."

"But why don't you scream now?" Alice asked, holding her hands ready to put over her ears again. "Why,
I've done all the screaming already," said the Queen. "What would be the good of having it all over again?"

Addendum. Coincidentally, just two days after having completed this chapter, I received the 2005
February issue of Astronomy & Geophysics, which included a fascinating article on the Arrow of
Time. You might want to look it up. The reference is Davis, P., Astronomy & Geophysics (Royal
Astronomical Society) 46, 26 (2005).
 1
-CHAPTER 16
CGS ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM

16.1 Introduction

We are accustomed to using MKS (metre-kilogram-second) units. A second, at one time defined
as a fraction 1/86400 of a day, is now defined as 9 192 631 770 times the period of a hyperfine line
emitted in the spectrum of the 133Cs (caesium) atom. A metre was at one time defined as one ten-
millionth of the length of a quadrant of Earth's surface measured from pole to equator. Later it was
defined as the distance between two scratches on a platinum-iridium bar held on Paris. Still later, it
was defined in terms of the wavelength of one or other of several spectral lines that have been used
in the past for this purpose. At present, the metre is defined as the distance travelled by light in
vacuo in a time of 1/(299 792 458) second. A kilogram is equal to the mass of a platinum-iridium
cylinder held in Paris. The day may come when we are able to define a kilogram as the mass of so
many electrons, but that day is not yet.

For electricity and magnetism, we extended the MKS system by adding an additional unit, the
ampère, whose definition was given in Chapter 6, Section 6.2, to form the MKSA system. This in
turn is a subset of SI (le Système International des Unités), which also includes the kelvin, the
candela and the mole.

An older system of units, still used by some authors, was the CGS (centimetre-gram-second)
system. In this system, a dyne is the force that will impart an acceleration of 1 cm s−2 to a mass of 1
gram. An erg is the work done when a force of one dyne moves its point of application through 1
cm in the line of action of the force. It will not take the reader a moment to see that a newton is
equal to 105 dynes, and a joule is 107 ergs. As far as mechanical units are concerned, neither one
system has any particular advantage over the other.

When it comes to electricity and magnetism, however, the situation is entirely different, and there is
a huge difference between MKS and CGS. Part of the difficulty stems from the circumstance that
electrostatics, magnetism and current electricity originally grew up as quite separate disciplines,
each with its own system of units, and the connections between them were not appreciated or even
discovered. It is not always realized that there are several version of CGS units used in electricity
and magnetism, including hybrid systems, and countless conversion factors between one version
and another. There are CGS electrostatic units (esu), to be used in electrostatics; CGS
electromagnetic units (emu), to be used for describing magnetic quantities; and gaussian mixed
units. In the gaussian mixed system, in equations that include both electrostatic quantities and
magnetic quantities, the former were supposed to be expressed in esu and the latter in emu, and a
conversion factor, given the symbol c, would appear in various parts of an equation to take account
of the fact that some quantities were expressed in one system of units and others were expressed in
another system. There was also the practical system of units, used in current electricity. In this,
the ampère would be defined either in terms of the rate of electrolytic deposition of silver from a
silver nitrate solution, or as exactly 10 CGS emu of current. The ohm would be defined in terms of
the resistance of a column of mercury of defined dimensions, or again as exactly 109 emu of
resistance. And a volt was 108 emu of potential difference. It will be seen already that, for every
 2
electrical quantity, several conversion factors between the different systems had to be known.
Indeed, the MKSA system was devised specifically to avoid this proliferation of conversion factors.

Generally, the units in these CGS system have no particular names; one just talks about so many
esu of charge, or so many emu of current. Some authors, however, give the names statcoulomb,
statamp, statvolt, statohm ,etc., for the CGS esu of charge, current, potential difference and
resistance, and abcoulomb, abamp, abvolt, abohm for the corresponding emu.

The difficulties by no means end there. For example, Coulomb's law is generally written as

Q1Q2 .
F= 16.1.1
kr 2

It will immediately be evident from this that the permittivity defined by this equation differs by a
factor of 4π from the permittivity that we are accustomed to. In the familiar equation generally
used in conjunction with SI units, namely

Q1Q2 ,
F = 16.1.2
4πεr 2

the permittivity ε so defined is called the rationalized permittivity. The permittivity k of

equation16.1.1 is the unrationalized permittivity. The two are related by k = 4πε . A difficulty
with the unrationalized form is that a factor 4π appears in formulas describing uniform fields, and
is absent from formulas describing situations with spherical symmetry.

Yet a further difficulty is that the magnitude of the CGS esu of charge is defined in such a way that
the unrationalized free space permittivity has the numerical value 1 – and consequently it is
normally left out of any equations in which it should appear. Thus equations as written often do
not balance dimensionally, and one is deprived of dimensional analysis as a tool. Permittivity is
regarded as a dimensionless number, and Coulomb's law for two charges in vacuo is written as

Q1Q2 .
F = 16.1.3
r2

The view is taken that electrical quantities can be expressed dimensionally in terms of mass, length
and time only, and, from equation 16.1.3, it is asserted that the dimensions of electrical charge are

[ Q] = M1/ 2 L3/ 2 T −1 . 16.1.4

Because permittivity is regarded as a dimensionless quantity, the vectors E and D are regarded as
dimensionally similar, and in vacuo they are identical. That is, in vacuo, there is no distinction
between them.

When we come to CGS electromagnetic units all these difficulties reappear, except that, in the emu
system, the free space permeability is regarded as a dimensionless number equal to 1, B and H are
 3
dimensionally similar, and in vacuo there is no distinction between them. The dimensions of
electric charge in the CGS emu system are

[ Q] = M1/ 2 L1/ 2 . 16.1.5

Thus the dimensions of charge are different in esu and in emu.

Two more highlights. The unit of capacitance in the CGS system is the centimeter, but in the CGS
emu system, the centimetre is the unit of inductance.

Few users of CGS esu and emu fully understand the complexity of the system. Those who do so
have long abandoned it for SI. CGS units are probably largely maintained by those who work with
CGS units in a relatively narrow field and who therefore do not often have occasion to convert
from one unit to another in this immensely complicated and physically unrealistic system.

Please don't blame me for this – I'm just the messenger!

In Sections 16.2, 16.3 and 16.4 I shall describe some of the features of the esu, emu and mixed
systems. I shall not be giving a full and detailed exposition of CGS electricity, but I am just
mentioning some of the highlights and difficulties. You are not going to like these sections very
much, and will probably not make much sense of them. I suggest just skip through them quickly
the first time, just to get some idea of what it's all about. The practical difficulty that you are likely
to come across in real life is that you will come across equations and units written in CGS
language, and you will want to know how to translate them into the SI language with which you are
familiar. I hope to address that in Section 16.5, and to give you some way of translating a CGS
formula into an SI formula that you can use and get the right answer from.

16.2 The CGS Electrostatic System

Definition. One CGS esu of charge (also known as the statcoulomb) is that charge which, if placed
1 cm from a similar charge in vacuo, will repel it with a force of 1 dyne.

The following exercises will be instructive.

Calculate, from the SI electricity that you already know, the force between two coulombs placed 1
cm from each other. From this, calculate how many CGS esu of charge there are in a coulomb. (I
make it 1 coulomb = 2. 998 × 109 esu. It will not escape your notice that this number is ten times
the speed of light expressed in m s−1.) Calculate the magnitude of the electronic charge in CGS
esu. (I make it 4. 8 × 10−10 esu. If, for example, you see that the potential energy of two electrons
at a distance r apart is e2/r, this is the number you must substitute for e. If you then express r in cm,
the energy will be in ergs.)
 4
Coulomb's law in vacuo is

Q1Q2
F = , 16.2.1
r2

This differs from our accustomed formula (equation 16.1.2) in two ways. In the first place, we are
using an unrationalized definition of permittivity, so that the familiar 4π is absent. Secondly, we
are choosing units such that 4πε0 has the numerical value 1, and so we are omitting it from the
equation.

While some readers (and myself!) will object, and say that equation 16.2.1 does not balance
dimensionally, and is valid only if the quantities are expressed in particular units, others will
happily say that equation 16.2.1 shows that the dimensions of Q are M1/2L3/1T−1, and will not mind
these extraordinary dimensions.

Electric field E is defined in the usual way, i.e. F = QE, so that if the force on 1 esu of charge is 1
dyne, the field strength is 1 esu of electric field. (The esu of electric field has no name other than
esu.) This is fine, but have you any idea how this is related to the SI unit of E, volt per metre? It
requires a great deal of mental gymnastics to find out, so I'll just give the answer here, namely

1 CGS esu of E = 10−6c V m−1,

where c = 2.997 924 58 % 1010.

Now the vector D is defined by D = kE, and since the permittivity is held to be a dimensionless
number, D and E are held to be dimensionally similar (M1/2L−1/2T−1 in fact). Further, since the free
space permittivity is 1, in vacuo there is no distinction between D and E, and either can substitute
for the other. So the conversion between CGS esu and SI for D is the same as for E? No! In SI,
we recognize D and E as being physically different quantities, and D is expressed in coulombs per
square metre. Awful mental gymnastics are needed to find the conversion, but I'll give the answer
here:

105
1 CGS esu of D = C m−2.
4 πc

Once again, please don't blame me – I'm just the messenger! And be warned – it is going to get
worse – much worse.

Potential Difference

If the work required to move a charge of 1 esu from one point to another is 1 erg, the potential
difference between the points is 1 esu of potential difference, or 1 statvolt.

It is often said that an esu of potential difference is 300 volts, but this is just an approximation. The
exact conversion is
 5

1 statvolt = 10−8c V.

Capacitance

If the potential difference across the plate of a capacitor is one statvolt when the capacitor holds a
charge of one statcoulomb, the capacitance of the capacitor is one centimetre. (No – that's not a
misprint.)

1 cm = 109 c−2 F.

Here is a sample of some formulas for use with CGS esu.

Potential at a distance r from a point charge Q in vacuo = Q/r.

Field at a distance r in vacuo from an infinite line charge of λ esu/cm = 2λ/r.

Field in vacuo above an infinite charged plate bearing a surface charge density of σ esu/cm2 = 2πσ.

An electric dipole moment p is, as in SI, the maximum torque experienced by the dipole in unit
electric field. A debye is 10−18 esu of dipole moment. The field at a distance r in vacuo along the
axis of a dipole is 2p/r.

Gauss's theorem: The total normal outward flux through a closed surface is 4π time the enclosed
charge.
kA .
Capacitance of a plane parallel capacitor =
4πd

Capacitance of an isolated sphere of radius a in vacuo = a. Example: What is the capacitance of a

sphere of radius 1 cm? Answer: 1 cm. Easy, eh?

Energy per unit volume or an electric field = E2/(8π).

One more example before leaving esu. You will recall that, if a polarizable material is placed in an
electrostatic field, the field D in the material is greater than ε0E by the polarization P of the
material. That is, D = εE + P. The equivalent formula for use with CGS esu is

D = E + 4πP.

And since P = χeE and D = kE, it follows that

k = 1 + 4πχe.
 6
At this stage you may want a conversion factor between esu and SI for all quantities. I'll supply
one a little later, but I want to describe emu first, and then we can construct a table given
conversions between all three systems.

16.3 The CGS Electromagnetic System

If you have been dismayed by the problems of CGS esu, you don't yet know what is in store for you
with CGS emu. Wait for it:

Definition. One CGS emu of magnetic pole strength is that pole which, if placed 1 cm from a
similar pole in vacuo, will repel it with a force of 1 dyne.

The system is based on the proposition that there exists a "pole" at each end of a magnet, and that
point poles repel each other according to an inverse square law. Magnetic field strength H is
defined as the force experienced by a unit pole situated in the field. Thus, if a pole of strength m
emu is situated in a field of strength H, it will experience a force F = mH.

Definition. If a pole of strength 1 emu experiences a force of 1 dyne when it is situated in a

magnetic field, the strength of the magnetic field is 1 oersted (Oe). It will probably be impossible
for the reader at this stage to try to work out the conversion factor between Oe and A m−1, but, for
the record

250
1 Oe = A m−1.
π

Now hold on tight, for the definition of the unit of electric current.

Definition: One emu of current (1 abamp) is that steady current, which, flowing in the arc of a
circle of length 1 cm and of radius 1 cm (i.e. subtending 1 radian at the centre of the circle) gives
rise to a magnetic field of 1 oersted at the centre of the circle.

This will involve quite an effort of the imagination. First you have to imagine a current flowing in
an arc of a circle. Then you have to imagine measuring the field at the centre of the circle by
measuring the force on a unit magnetic pole that you place there.

It follows that, if a current I abamp flows in a circle of radius a cm, the field at the centre is of the
circle is

2πI
H = Oe.
a

The conversion between emu of current (abamp) and ampères is

1 emu = 10 A.
 7
The Biot-Savart law becomes

I ds sin θ
dH = .
r2

The field at a distance r in vacuo from a long straight current I is

2I .
H =
r

Ampère's law says that the line integral of H around a closed plane curve is 4π times the enclosed
current. The field inside a long solenoid of n turns per centimetre is

H = 4πnI.

So far, no mention of B, but it is now time to introduce it. Let us imagine that we have a long
solenoid of n turns per cm, carrying a current of I emu, so that the field inside it is 4πnI Oe.
Suppose that the cross-sectional area of the solenoid is A. Let us wrap a single loop of wire tightly
around the outside of the solenoid, and then change the current at a rate I& so that the field changes
at a rate H& = 4πnI&. An EMF will be set up in the outside (secondary) coil of magnitude AH& . If
we now insert an iron core inside the solenoid and repeat the experiment, we find that the induced
EMF is much larger. It is larger by a (supposed dimensionless) factor called the permeability of the
iron. Although this factor is called the permeability and the symbols used is often µ, I am going to
use the symbol κ for it. The induced EMF is now A times κH& . We denote the product of µ and H
with the symbol B, so that B = κH. The magnitude of B inside the solenoid is

B = 4πκnI.

It will be evident from the familiar SI version B = µnI that the CGS emu definition of the
permeability differs from the SI definition by a factor 4π. The CGS emu definition is called an
unrationalized definition; the SI definition is rationalized. The relation between them is µ = 4πκ.

In CGS emu, the permeability of free space has the value 1. Indeed the supposedly dimensionless
unrationalized permeability is what, in SI parlance, would be the relative permeability.

The CGS unit of B is the gauss (G), and 1 G = 10−4 T.

It is usually held that κ is a dimensionless number, so that B and H have the same dimensions, and,
in free space, B and H are identical. They are identical not only numerically, but there is physically
no distinction between them. Because of this, the unit oersted is rarely heard, and it is common to
hear the unit gauss used haphazardly to describe either B or H.

The scalar product of B and area is the magnetic flux, and its CGS unit, G cm2, bears the name the
maxwell. The rate of change of flux in maxwells per second will give you the induced EMF in
emus (abvolts). An abvolt is 10−8 V.
 8

The subject of magnetic moment has caused so much confusion in the literature that I shall devote
an entire future chapter to it rather than try to do it here.

I end this section by giving the CGS emu version of magnetization. The familiar
B = µ 0 ( H + M ) becomes, in its CGS emu guise, B = H + 4πM. The magnetic susceptibility χm
is defined by M = χmH . Together with B = κH, this results in κ = 1 + 4πχm .

16.4 The Gaussian Mixed System

A problem arises if we are dealing with a situation in which there are both “electrostatic” and
“electromagnetic” quantities. The “mixed system”, which is used very frequently, in CGS
literature, uses esu for quantities that are held to be “electrostatic” and emu for quantities that are
held to be “electromagnetic”, and it seems to be up to each author to decide which quantities are to
be regarded as “electrostatic” and which are “electromagnetic. Because different quantities are to
be expressed in different sets of units within a single equation, the equation must include the
conversion factor c = 2.997 924 58 % 1010 in strategic positions within the equation.

The most familiar example of this is the equation for the force F experienced by a charge Q when it
is moving with velocity v in an electric field E and a magnetic field B. This equation is liable to
appear either as

 v × H
F = Q E +  16.4.1
 c 

 v × B
or as F = Q E + . 16.4.2
 c 

It can appear in either of these forms because, if CGS emu are used, B and H are numerically equal
in vacuo. The conversion factor c appears in these equations, because it is understood (by those
who understand CGS units) that Q and E are to be expressed in esu, while B or H is to be expressed
in emu, and the conversion factor c is necessary to convert it to esu.

It should be noted that in all previous chapters in these notes, equations balance dimensionally, and
the equations are valid in any coherent system of units, not merely SI. Difficulties arise, of course,
if you write an equation that is valid only so long as a particular set of units is used, and even more
difficulties arise if some quantities are to be expressed in one system of units, and other quantities
are to be expressed in another system of units.

An analogous situation is to be found in some of the older books on thermodynamics, where it is

possible to find the following equation:

C P − CV = R / J . 16.4.3
 9

This equation expresses the difference in the specific heat capacities of an ideal gas, measured at
constant pressure and at constant volume. In equation 16.4.3, it is understood that CP and CV are to
be expressed in calories per gram per degree, while the universal gas constant is to be expressed in
ergs per gram per degree. The factor J is a conversion factor between erg and calories. Of course
the sensible way to write the equation is merely

C P − CV = R. 16.4.4

This is valid whatever units are used, be they calories, ergs, joules, British Thermal Units or kWh,
as long as all quantities are expressed in the same units. Yet it is truly extraordinary how many
electrical equations are to be found in the literature, in which different units are to be used for
dimensionally similar quantities.

Maxwell’s equations may appear in several forms. I take one at random from a text written in
CGS:

divB = 0, 16.4.5

divD = 4πρ, 16.4.6

& + 4πJ ,
ccurlH = D 16.4.7

ccurlE = − B& . 16.4.8

The factor c occurs as a conversion factor, since some quantities are to be expressed in esu and
some in emu. The 4π arises because of a different definition (unrationalized) of permeability. In
some versions there may be no distinction between B and H, or between E and D, and the 4π and
the c may appear in various places in the equations.

(It may also be remarked that, in the earlier papers, and in Maxwell’s original writings, vector
notation is not used, and the equations appear extremely cumbersome and all but incomprehensible
to modern eyes.)

16.5 Conversion Factors

By this time, you are completely bewildered, and you want nothing to do with such a system.
Indeed you may even be wondering if I made it all up, so irrational does it appear to be. You
would like to ignore it all completely. But you cannot ignore it, because, in your reading, you keep
coming across formulas that you need, but you don’t know what units to use, or whether there
should be a 4π in the formula, or whether there is a permittivity or permeability missing from the
equation because the author happens to be using some set of units in which one or the other of these
quantities has the numerical value 1, or whether the H in the equation should really be a B, or the E
a D.
 10

Is there anything I can do to help?

What I am going to do in this section is to list a number of conversion factors between the different
systems of units. This may help a little, but it won’t by any means completely solve the problem.
Really to try and sort out what a CGS equation means requires some dimensional analysis, and I
shall address that in section 16.6

In the conversion factors that I list in this section, the symbol c stands for the number 2.997 924 58
% 1010, which is numerically equal to the speed of light expressed in cm s−1. The abbreviation
“esu” will mean CGS electrostatic unit, and “emu” will mean CGS electromagnetic unit. A prefix
“stat” to a unit implies that it is an esu; a prefix “ab” implies that it is an emu. I list the conversion
factors for each quantity in the form “1 SI unit = so many esu = so many emu”.

I might mention that people will say that “SI is full of conversion factors”. The fact is that SI is a
unified coherent set of units, and it has no conversion factors. Conversion factors are characteristic
of CGS electricity and magnetism.

Quantity of Electricity (Electric Charge)

1 coulomb = 10−1c statcoulomb = 10−1 emu

Electric Current

1 amp = 10−1c esu = 10−1 abamp

Potential Difference

1 volt = 108/c statvolt = 108 emu

Resistance

1 ohm = 109/c2 esu = 109 abohm

Capacitance

1 farad = 10−9c2 esu = 10−9 emu

Inductance

1 henry = 109/c2 esu = 109 emu

 11

Electric Field E

1 V m−1 = 106/c esu = 106 esu

Electric Field D

1 C m−2 = 4π × 10−5c esu = 4π × 10−5 emu

Magnetic Field B

1 tesla = 104/c esu = 104 gauss

Magnetic Field H

1 A m−1 = 4π × 10−3c esu = 4π × 10−3 oersted

Magnetic B-flux ΦB

1 weber = 108/c esu = 108 maxwell

16.6 Dimensions

A book says that the equivalent width W, in wavelength units, of a spectrum line, is related to the
number of atoms per unit area in the line of sight, N, by

πe 2 Nλ2 .
W = 16.6.1
mc 2

Is this formula all right in any system of units? Can I use SI units on the right hand side, and get
the answer in metres? Or must I use a particular set of units in order to get the right answer? And
if so, which units?

A book says that the rate at which energy is radiated, P, from an accelerating charge is

2e 2 &x&2
P = . 16.6.2
c3
 12

Is this correct? Is c the speed of light, or is it merely a conversion factor between different units?
Or is one of the cs a conversion factor, and the other two are the speed of light?

It is possible to find the answer to such bewildering questions, if we do a bit of dimensional

analysis. So, before trying to answer these specific questions (which I shall do later as examples) I
am going to present a table of dimensions. I already gave a table of dimensions of electrical
quantities in Chapter 11, in terms of M, L, T and Q, but that table won’t be particularly helpful in
the present context.

I pointed out in Section 16.1 of the present chapter that Coulomb’s law is often written in the form

Q1Q2 .
F = 16.6.3
r2

Consequently the dimensions of Q are held to be [ Q] = M1/ 2 L3/ 2 T −1 . But we know that a
permittivity is missing from the denominator of equation 16.6.3, because the writer intends his
formula to be restricted to a particular set of units such that k or 4πε0 = 1. In order to detect
whether a permittivity has been omitted from an equation, we need a table in which the dimensions
of electrical quantities are given not in terms of M, L, T and Q as in Chapter 11, but in terms of M,
L, T and ε, and this is what I am just about to do. However, often it is the permeability that has
been omitted from an equation, and, in order to detect whether this is so, I am also supplying a table
in which the dimensions of electrical quantities are given in terms of M, L, T and µ.

If, from dimensional analysis, you find that an expression is dimensionally wrong by a power of the
permittivity, insert 4πε0 in the appropriate part of the equation. If you find that an expression is
dimensionally wrong by a power of the permeability, insert µ0/(4π) in the appropriate part of the
equation. If you find that the equation is wrong by LT−1, insert or delete c as appropriate. Your
equation will then balance dimensionally and will be ready for use in any coherent system of units,
including SI. This procedure will probably work in most cases, but I cannot guarantee that it will
work in all cases, because it cannot deal with those (frequent!) cases in which the formula given is
plain wrong, whatever units are used!
 13
M L T ε M L T µ

Electric charge 1
2
3
2 −1 1
2
1
2
1
2
0 − 12
Electric dipole moment 1
2
5
2 −1 1
2
1
2
3
2
0 − 12
Current 1
2
3
2 −2 1
2
1
2
1
2 −1 − 12
Potential difference 1
2
1
2 −1 − 12 1
2
3
2 −2 1
2

Resistance 0 −1 1 −1 0 1 −1 1
Resistivity 0 0 1 −1 0 2 −1 1
Conductance 0 1 −1 1 0 −1 1 −1
Conductivity 0 0 −1 1 0 −2 1 −1
Capacitance 0 1 0 1 0 −1 2 −1
Electric field E 1
2 − 12 −1 − 12 1
2
1
2 −2 1
2

Electric field D 1
2 − 12 −1 1
2
1
2 − 32 0 − 12
Electric flux ΦE 1
2
3
2 −1 − 12 1
2 − 52 −2 1
2

Electric flux ΦD 1
2
3
2 −1 1
2
1
2
1
2
0 − 12
Permittivity 0 0 0 1 0 −2 2 −1
Magnetic field B 1
2 − 32 0 − 12 1
2 − 12 −1 12
Magnetic field H 1
2
1
2 −2 1
2
1
2 − 12 −1 − 12
Magnetic flux ΦB 1
2
1
2
0 − 12 1
2
1
2 −1 1
2

Magnetic flux ΦH 1
2
5
2 −2 1
2
1
2
1
2 −1 − 12
Permeability 0 −2 2 −1 0 0 0 1
Magnetic vector potential 1
2 − 12 0 − 12 1
2
1
2 −1 1
2

Inductance 0 −1 2 −1 0 1 0 1

Now let’s look at the equation for equivalent width of a spectrum line:

πe 2 Nλ2 .
W = 16.6.1
mc 2

Here [W] = L and [N] = L−2. By making use of the table we find that the dimensions of the right
hand side are Lε. There is therefore a 4πε0 missing from the denominator, and the equation should
be

πe 2 Nλ2 .
W = 16.6.4
4πε0 mc 2

How about the rate at which energy is radiated from an accelerating charge?
 14
2e 2 &x&2
P = . 16.6.2
c3

Power has dimensions ML2T−3, whereas the dimensions of the right hand side are ML2T−3ε, so
again there is a 4πε0 missing from the denominator and the formula should be

2e 2 &x&2
P = . 16.6.5
4πε0 c 3

It is often the case that there is a 4πε0 missing from the denominator is formulas that have an e2
upstairs.

“Electromagnetic” formulas often give more difficulty. For example, one book says that the energy
B2 H2 .
per unit volume in a magnetic field in vacuo is , while another says that is it is Which is it
8π 8π
(if indeed it is either)? Energy per unit volume has dimensions ML−1T−2. The dimensions of B2
are ML−1T−2µ. The equation given is therefore wrong dimensionally by permeability, and the
equation should be divided by µ0/(4π) to give B2/(2µ0), which is correct. On the other hand, the
dimensions of H2 are ML−1T−2µ−1, so perhaps we should multiply by µ0/(4π)? But this does not
give a correct answer, and it exemplifies some of the many difficulties that are caused by writing
formulas that do not balance dimensionally and are intended to be used only with a particular set of
units. The situation is particularly difficult with respect to magnetic moment, a subject to which I
shall devote the next chapter.
 1

CHAPTER 17
MAGNETIC DIPOLE MOMENT

17.1 Introduction

A number of different units for expressing magnetic dipole moment (hereafter simply
“magnetic moment”) are commonly seen in the literature, including, for example, erg
G−1, G cm3, Oe cm3, T m3, A m2, J T−1. It is not always obvious how to convert from one
to another, nor is it obvious whether all quantities described as “magnetic moment” refer
to the same physical concept or are dimensionally or numerically similar. It can be
almost an impossibility, for example, to write down a list of the magnetic moments of the
planets in order of increasing magnetic moment if one refers to the diverse literature in
which the moments of each of the nine planets are quoted in different units. This chapter
explores some of these aspects of magnetic moment.

In previous chapters, I have used the symbols pe and pm for electric and magnetic dipole
moment. In this chapter I shall be concerned exclusively with magnetic moment, and so I
shall dispense with the subscript m.

17.2 The SI Definition of Magnetic Moment

If a magnet is placed in an external magnetic field B, it will experience a torque. The

magnitude of the torque depends on the orientation of the magnet with respect to the
magnetic field. There are two oppositely-directed orientations in which the magnet will
experience the greatest torque, and the magnitude of the magnetic moment is defined as
the maximum torque experienced by the magnet when placed in unit external magnetic
field. The magnitude and direction of the torque is given by the equation

τ = p× B . 17.2.1

The SI unit for magnetic moment is clearly N m T−1.

If an electric current I flows in a plane coil of area A (recall that area is a vector quantity
– hence the boldface), the torque it will experience in a magnetic field is given by

τ = IA × B . 17.2.2

This means that the magnetic moment of the coil is given by

p = IA . 17.2.3

Thus the unit A m2 is also a correct SI unit for magnetic moment, though, unless the
concept of “current in a coil” needs to be emphasized in a particular context, it is perhaps
better to stick to N m T−1.
 2

While “J T−1” is also formally dimensionally correct, it is perhaps better to restrict the
unit “joule” to work or energy, and to use N m for torque. Although these are
dimensionally similar, they are conceptually rather different. For this reason, the
occasional practice seen in atomic physics of expressing magnetic moments in MeV T−1
is not entirely appropriate, however convenient it may sometimes seem to be in a field in
which masses and momenta are often conveniently expressed in MeV/c2 and MeV/c.

It is clear that the unit “T m3”, often seen for “magnetic moment” is not dimensionally
correct for magnetic moment as defined above, so that, whatever quantity is being
expressed by the often-seen “T m3”, it is not the conventionally defined concept of
magnetic moment.

The magnetization M of a material is defined by the equation

B = µ0(H + M) 17.2.4

Equations 17.2.2 and 17.2.4 for the definitions of magnetic moment and magnetization
are consistent with the alternative concept of magnetization as “magnetic moment per
unit volume”.

17.3 The Magnetic Field on the Equator of a Magnet

By the “equator” of a magnet I mean a plane normal to its magnetic moment vector,
passing through the mid-point of the magnet.

The magnetic field at a point at a distance r on the equator of a magnet may be expressed
as a series of terms of successively higher powers of 1/r (the first term in the series being
a term in r−3), and the higher powers decrease rapidly with increasing distance. At large
distances, the higher powers become negligible, so that, at a large distance from a small
magnet, the magnitude of the magnetic field produced by the magnet is given
approximately by

µ0 p
B = . 17.3.1
4π r 3

For example, if the surface magnetic field on the equator of a planet has been measured,
and the magnetic properties of the planet are being modelled in terms of a small magnet
at the centre of the planet, the dipole moment can be calculated by multiplying the
surface equatorial magnetic field by µ0/(4π) times the cube of the radius of the planet. If
B, µ0 and r are expressed respectively in T, H m−1 and m, the magnetic moment will be in
N m T−1.
 3

17.4 CGS Magnetic Moment, and Lip Service to SI

Equation 17.3.1 is the equation (written in the convention of quantity calculus, in which
symbols stand for physical quantities rather than for their numerical values in some
particular system of units) for the magnetic field at a large distance on the equator of a
magnet. The equation is valid in any coherent system of units whatever, and its validity
is not restricted to any particular system of units. Example of systems of units in which
equation 17.3.1 are valid include SI, CGS EMU, and British Imperial Units.

If CGS EMU are used, the quantity µ0/(4π) has the numerical value 1. Consequently,
when working exclusively in CGS EMU, equation 17.3.1 is often written as

p
B = . 17.4.1
r3

This equation appears not to balance dimensionally. However, the equation is not written
according to the conventions of quantity calculus, and the symbols do not stand for
physical quantities. Rather, they stand for their numerical values in a particular system of
units. Thus r is the distance in cm, B is the field in gauss, and p is the magnetic moment
in dyne cm per gauss. However, because of the deceptive appearance of the equation, a
common practice, for example, in calculating the magnetic moment of a planet is to
measure its surface equatorial field, multiply it by the cube of the planet’s radius, and
then quote the magnetic moment in “G cm3”. While the numerical result is correct for
the magnetic moment in CGS EMU, the units quoted are not.

While some may consider objections to incorrect units to be mere pedantry (and who
would presumably therefore see nothing wrong with quoting a length in grams, as long as
the actual number is correct), the situation becomes more difficult when a writer, wishing
to pay lip service to SI, attempts to use equation 17.4.1 using SI units, by multiplying the
surface equatorial field in T by the cube of the planet’s radius, and then giving the
magnetic moment in “T m3”, a clearly disastrous recipe!

Of course, some may use equation 17.4.1 as a definition of magnetic moment. If that is
so, then the quantity so defined is clearly not the same quantity, physically, conceptually,
dimensionally or numerically, as the quantity defined as magnetic moment in Section
17.2.

17.5 Possible Alternative Definitions of Magnetic Moment

Although the standard SI definition of magnetic moment is described in Section 17.2, and
there is little reason for anyone who wishes to be understood by others to use any other,
the previous paragraph suggested that there might be more than one choice as to how one
wishes to define magnetic moment. Do we use equation 17.2.1 or equation 17.4.1 as the
definition? (They are clearly different concepts.) Additional degrees of freedom as to
how one might choose to define magnetic moment depend on whether we elect to use
 4

magnetic field H or magnetic field B in the definition, or whether the permeability is or is

not to include the factor 4π in its definition – that is, whether we elect to use a
“rationalized” or “unrationalized” definition of permeability.

If one chooses to define the magnetic moment as the maximum torque experienced in
unit external magnetic field, there is still a choice as to whether by magnetic field we
choose H or B. Thus we could define magnetic moment by either of the following two
equations:

τ = p1 H 17.5.1

or τ = p2 B . 17.5.2

Alternatively, we could choose to define the magnetic moment is terms of the field on the
equator. In that case we have a choice of four. We can choose to use B or H for the
magnetic field, and we can choose to exclude or include 4π in the denominator:

p3 ,
B = 17.5.3
r3
p
H = 34 , 17.5.4
r
p5 ,
B = 17.5.5
4πr 3
p6 .
H = 17.5.6
4πr 3

These six possible definitions of magnetic moment are clearly different quantities, and
one may well wonder why to list them all. The reason is that all of them are to be found
in current scientific literature. To give some hint as to the unnecessary complications
introduced when authors depart from the simple SI definition, I list in Table XVII.1 the
dimensions of each version of magnetic moment, the CGS EM unit, the SI unit, and the
conversion factor between CGS and SI. The conversion factors cannot be obtained
simply by referring to the dimensions, because this does not take into account the
inclusion or exclusion of 4π in the permeability. The correct factors can be obtained
from the units, for example by noting that 1 Oe = 10−3/(4π) A m−1 and 1 G = 10−4 T.
 5

TABLE XVII.1
DIMENSIONS, CGS AND SI UNITS, AND CONVERSION FACTORS
FOR MAGNETIC MOMENTS

Dimensions 1 CGS EMU = Conversion factor SI unit

p1 ML3T−1Q−1 1 dyn cm Oe−1 = 4π × 10−10 N m (A/m) −1

p2 L2T−1Q 1 dyn cm G−1 = 10−3 N m T −1

p3 ML3T−1Q−1 1 G cm3 = 10−10 T m3

p4 L2T−1Q 1 Oe cm3 = 10−3/4π A m2

p5 ML3T−1Q−1 1 G cm3 = 10−10 T m3

p6 L2T−1Q 1 Oe cm3 = 10−3/4π A m2

17.6 Thirteen Questions

We have seen that the SI definition of magnetic moment is unequivocally defined as the
maximum torque experienced in unit external field. Nevertheless some authors prefer to
think of magnetic moment as the product of the equatorial field and the cube of the
distance. Thus there are two conceptually different concepts of magnetic moment, and,
when to these are added minor details as to whether the magnetic field is B or H, and
whether or not the permeability should include the factor 4π, six possible definitions of
magnetic moment, described in Section 17.6, all of which are to be found in current
literature, arise.

Regardless, however, how one chooses to define magnetic moment, whether the SI
definition or some other unconventional definition, it should be easily possible to answer
both of the following questions:

A. Given the magnitude of the equatorial field on the equator of a magnet, what is the
maximum torque that that magnet would experience if it were placed in an external field?

B. Given the maximum torque that a magnet experiences when placed in an external
field, what is the magnitude of the equatorial field produced by the magnet?

It must surely be conceded that a failure to be able to answer such basic questions
indicates a failure to understand what is meant by magnetic moment.
 6

I therefore now ask a series of thirteen questions. The first six are questions of type A, in
which I use the six possible definitions of magnetic moment. The next six are similar
questions of type B. And the last is an absurdly simple question, which anyone who
believes he understands the meaning of magnetic moment should easily be able to
answer.

1. The magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane of a magnet at a distance of 1 cm is

1 Oe.

What is the maximum torque that this magnet will experience in an external magnetic
field of 1 Oe, and what is its magnetic moment?

Note that, in this question and the following seven there must be a unique answer for the
torque. The answer you give for the magnetic moment, however, will depend on how
you choose to define magnetic moment, and on whether you choose to give the answer in
SI units or CGS EMU.

2. The magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane of a magnet at a distance of 1 cm is

1 Oe.

What is the maximum torque that this magnet will experience in an external magnetic
field of 1 G, and what is its magnetic moment?

3. The magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane of a magnet at a distance of 1 cm is

1 G.

What is the maximum torque that this magnet will experience in an external magnetic
field of 1 Oe, and what is its magnetic moment?

4. The magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane of a magnet at a distance of 1 cm is

1 G.

What is the maximum torque that this magnet will experience in an external magnetic
field of 1 G, and what is its magnetic moment?

5. The magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane of a magnet at a distance of 1 m is 1

A m−1.

What is the maximum torque that this magnet will experience in an external magnetic
field of 1 A m−1, and what is its magnetic moment?
 7

6. The magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane of a magnet at a distance of 1 m is 1

A m−1.

What is the maximum torque that this magnet will experience in an external magnetic
field of 1 T, and what is its magnetic moment?

7. The magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane of a magnet at a distance of 1 m is 1

T.

What is the maximum torque that this magnet will experience in an external magnetic
field of 1 A m−1, and what is its magnetic moment?

8. The magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane of a magnet at a distance of 1 m is 1

T.

What is the maximum torque that this magnet will experience in an external magnetic
field of 1 T, and what is its magnetic moment?

9. A magnet experiences a maximum torque of 1 dyn cm if placed in a field of 1 Oe.

What is the magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane at a distance of 1 cm, and what
is the magnetic moment?

Note that, in this question and the following three there must be a unique answer for B
and a unique answer for H, though each can be expressed in SI or in CGS EMU, while
the answer for the magnetic moment depends on which definition you adopt.

10. A magnet experiences a maximum torque of 1 dyn cm if placed in a field of 1 G.

What is the magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane at a distance of 1 cm, and what
is the magnetic moment?

11. A magnet experiences a maximum torque of 1 N m if placed in a field of 1 A m−1.

What is the magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane at a distance of 1 m, and what is
the magnetic moment?

12. A magnet experiences a maximum torque of 1 N m if placed in a field of 1 T. What

is the magnitude of the field in the equatorial plane at a distance of 1 m, and what is the
magnetic moment?

I’ll pose Question Number 13 a little later. In the meantime the answers to the first four
questions are given in Table XVII.2, and the answers to Questions 5 – 12 are given in
 8

Tables XVII.3 and 4. The sheer complexity of these answers to absurdly simple
questions is a consequence of different usages by various authors of the meaning of
“magnetic moment” and of departure from standard SI usage.

TABLE XVII.2
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 1 – 4 IN CGS EMU AND SI UNITS
The answers to the first four questions are identical

τ = 1 dyn cm = 10−7 N m

p1 = 1 dyn cm Oe−1 = 4π × 10−7 N m (A/m)−1

p2 = 1 dyn cm G−1 = 10−3 N m (T)−1

p3 = 1 G cm3 = 10−10 T m3

p4 = 1 Oe cm3 = 10−3/(4π) A m2

p5 = 4π G cm3 = 4π × 10−10 T m3

p6 = 4π Oe cm3 = 10−3 A m2
 9

TABLE XVII.3
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 5 – 8 IN CGS EMU AND SI UNITS

5 6 7 8

τ = (4π) 2 4π × 107 4π × 107 1014 dyn cm

= (4π)2 × 10−7 4π 4π 107 Nm

pl = 4π × 103 4π × 103 1010 1010 dyn cm Oe−1

= (4π)2 × 10−7 (4π)2 × 10−7 4π 4π N m (A/m)−1

p2 = 4π × 103 4π × 103 1010 1010 dyn cm G−1

= 4π 4π 107 107 N m T−1

p3 = 4π × 103 4π × 103 1010 1010 G cm3

= 4π × 10−7 4π × 10−7 1 1 T m3

p4 = 4π × 103 4π × 103 1010 1010 Oe cm3

= 1 1 107/(4π) 107/(4π) A m2

p5 = (4π)2 × 103 (4π)2 × 103 4π × 1010 4π × 1010 G cm3

= (4π)2 × 10−7 (4π)2 × 10−7 4π 4π T m3

p6 = (4π)2 × 103 (4π)2 × 103 4π × 1010 4π × 1010 Oe cm3

= 4π 4π 107 107 A m2
 10

TABLE XVII.4
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 9 – 12 IN CGS EMU AND SI UNITS

9 10 11 12

B = 1 1 104/(4π) 10−3 G

= 10−4 10−4 1/(4π) 10−7 T

H = 1 1 104/(4π) 10−3 Oe

= 103/(4π) 103/(4π) 107/(4π)2 1/(4π) A m−1

pl = 1 1 1010/(4π) 103 dyn cm Oe−1

= 4π × 10−10 4π × 10−10 1 4π×10−7 N m (A/m)−1

p2 = 1 1 1010/(4π) 103 dyn cm G−1

= 10−3 10−3 107/(4π) 1 N m T−1

p3 = 1 1 104/(4π) 10−3 G cm3

= 10−10 10−10 10−6/(4π) 10−13 T m3

p4 = 1 1 104/(4π) 10−3 Oe cm3

= 10−3/(4π) 10−3/(4π) 10/(4π)2 10−6/(4π) A m2

p5 = 4π 4π 104 4π × 10−3 G cm3

= 4π × 10−10 4π × 10−10 10−6 4π × 10−13 T m3

p6 = 4π 4π 104 4π × 10−3 Oe cm3

= 10−3 10−3 10/(4π) 10−6 A m2

 11

The thirteenth and last of these questions is as follows: Assume that Earth is a sphere of
radius 6.4 × 106 m = 6.4 × 108 cm, and that the surface field at the magnetic equator is
B = 3 × 10 −5 T = 0.3 G, or H = 75 / π A m −1 = 0.3 Oe, what is the magnetic moment
of Earth? It is hard to imagine a more straightforward question, yet it would be hard to
find two people who would give the same answer.

The SI answer (which, to me, is the only answer) is

µ0 p , 4πr 3 B 4π × (6.4 ×106 ) 3 × 3×10 −5

B = ∴ p = = −7
= 7.86 × 10 22 N m T−1.
4π r 3
µ0 4π ×10

This result correctly predicts that, if Earth were placed in an external field of 1 T, it
would experience a maximum torque of 7.86 × 1022 N m, and this is the normal meaning
of what is meant by magnetic moment.

A calculation in GCS might proceed thus:

p ,
B = 3
∴ p = r 3 B = (6.4 ×108 )3 × 0.3 = 7.86 × 10 25 G cm3 .
r

Is this the same result as was obtained from the SI calculation? We can use the
conversions 1 G = 10−4 T and 1 cm3 = 10−6 m3, and we obtain

p = 7.86 × 1015 T m3.

We arrive at a number that not only differs from the SI calculation by 107, but is
expressed in quite different, dimensionally dissimilar, units.

Perhaps the CGS calculation should be

p,
H = 3
∴ p = r 3 H = (6.4 ×108 ) 3 × 0.3 = 7.86 × 10 25 Oe cm3 .
r

Now 1 Oe = 1000/(4π) A m−1 and 1 cm3 = 10−6 m3, and we obtain

p = 6.26 × 1021 A m2

This time we arrive at SI units that are dimensionally similar to N m T−1, and which are
perfectly correct SI units, but the magnetic moment is smaller than correctly predicted by
the SI calculation by a factor of 12.6.

Yet again, we might do what appears to be frequently done by planetary scientists, and
we can multiply the surface field in T by the cube of the radius in m to obtain
 12

p = 7.86 × 1015 T m3.

This arrives at the same result as one of the CGS calculations, but, whatever it is, it is not
the magnetic moment in the sense of the greatest torque in a unit field. The quantity so
obtained appears to be nothing more that the product of the surface equatorial field and
the cube of the radius, and as such would appear to be a purposeless and meaningless
calculation.

It would be a good deal more meaningful merely to multiply the surface value of H by 3.
This in fact would give (correctly) the dipole moment divided by the volume of Earth,
and hence it would be the average magnetization of Earth – a very meaningful quantity,
which would be useful in comparing the magnetic properties of Earth with those of the
other planets.

17.7 Additional Remarks

The units erg G−1 or J T−1 are frequently encountered for magnetic moment. These may
be dimensionally correct, although ergs and joules (units of energy) are not quite the
same things as dyn cm or N m as units of torque. It could be argued that magnetic
moment could be defined from the expression −p.B for the potential energy of a magnet
in a magnetic field. But the correct expression is actually constant − p.B, the constant
being zero only if you specify that the energy is taken to be zero when the magnetic
moment and field vectors are perpendicular to each other. This seems merely to add yet
further complications to what should be, but unfortunately is not, a concept of the utmost
simplicity.

Nevertheless the use of ergs or joules rather than dyn cm or N m is not uncommon, and
nuclear and particle physicists commonly convert joules to MeV. Magnetic moments of
atomic nuclei are commonly quoted in nuclear magnetons, where a nuclear magneton is
eh /(2m p ) and has the value 3.15 × 10−4 MeV T−1. While one is never likely to want to
express the magnetic moment of the planet Uranus in nuclear magetons, it is sobering to
attempt to do so, given that the magnetic moment of Uranus is quoted as 0.42 Oe km−1.
While on the subject of Uranus, I have seen it stated that the magnetic quadrupole of
Uranus is or the same order of magnitude as its magnetic dipole moment – though, since
these are dimensionally dissimilar quantities, such a statement conveys no meaning.

Another exercise to illustrate the points I have been trying to make is as follows. From
four published papers I find the following. The magnetic moment of Mercury is 1.2 ×
1019 A m2 in one paper, and 300 nT RM3 in another. The magnetic moment of Uranus is
4.2 × 1012 Oe km3 in one paper, and 0.23 G RU3 in another. The radii of Mercury and
Uranus are, respectively, 2.49 × 106 m and 2.63 × 107 m. Calculate the ratio of the
magnetic moment of Uranus to that of Mercury. If you are by now completely confused,
you are not alone.
 13

17.8 Conclusion

Readers will by now probably be bewildered at the complexities described in this chapter.
After all, there could scarcely be a simpler notion than that of the torque experienced by a
magnet in a magnetic field, and there would seem to be no need for all of these
complicated variations. You are right – there is no such need. All that need be known is
summarized in Sections 17.2 and 17.3. The difficulty arises because authors of scientific
papers are using almost all possible variations of what they think is meant by magnetic
moment, and this has led to a thoroughly chaotic situation. All I can do is to hope that
readers of these notes will be encouraged to use only the standard SI definition and units
for magnetic moment, and to be aware of the enormous complications arising when they
depart from these.
 1

CHAPTER 10
ELECTROCHEMISTRY

For a long time I have resisted writing a chapter on electrochemistry in these notes on electricity
and magnetism. The reason for this, quite frankly, is that I am not a chemist, I know relatively little
about the subject, and I am not really qualified to write on it. However, a set of notes on electricity
and magnetism with no mention at all of this huge topic is not very satisfactory, so I should perhaps
attempt a little. I shall do little, however, other than merely introduce and define some words.

We can perhaps think of two sorts of cell with rather opposite purposes. In an electrolytic cell, we
pass an electric current through a conducting liquid through two electrodes, which may be of the
same or of different metals. The object may simply be to see what happens (i.e. scientific
research); or it may be to deposit a metal from a salt in the electrolytic solution on to one of the
electrodes, as, for example, in silver plating, or in the industrial manufacture of aluminium; or it
may be to break up the electrolyte into its constituent elements, as, for example, in a classroom
demonstration that water consists of two parts of hydrogen to one of oxygen. The process is called
electrolysis; the Greek etymology of the word electrolysis suggests "loosening" by electricity.

The other sort is what we commonly call a "battery", such as a flashlight battery or a car battery.
In a “battery”, we have an electrolyte and two metal poles (generally of different metals, or perhaps
a metal and carbon). Because of chemical reactions inside the battery, there exists a small potential
difference (usually about one or two volts) across the poles, and when the "battery" is connected to
an external circuit, we can extract a continuous current from the battery. Strictly, we should call it
a “cell” rather than a “battery”. A “battery” is a battery of several cells in series. Usually a
flashlight holds a battery of two or three cells. A car battery is genuinely a battery of several
connected cells and can correctly be called a battery. Unfortunately in common parlance we often
refer to a single cell as a “battery”. In order to distinguish a cell in this sense from what I have
called an "electrolytic cell", I shall refer to a cell from which we hope to extract a current as an
"electrical cell". I hope these opposite terms "electrolytic cell" and "electric cell" do not prove too
confusing. If they do, I'd be glad of suggestions. One suggestion that I have heard is to call an
electric cell a "galvanic cell". Another is a "voltaic cell".

In an electrolytic cell, the positive electrode is called the anode, from a Greek derivation suggesting
"up". The negative electrode is the cathode, from a Greek derivation suggesting "down". In the
electrolyte, current is carried by positive ions and negative ions. The positive ions, which move
toward the cathode, are called cations, and the negative ions, which move towards the anode, are
called anions.

Do you find it confusing that the positive electrode is the anode, but the positive ion is the cation?
And that the negative electrode is the cathode, but the negative ion is the anion? If you do, you are
not alone. I find them confusing. Solution: I suggest that you call the positive electrode the
positive electrode; the negative electrode the negative electrode; the positive ion the positive ion;
and the negative ion the negative ion. That way there is no likelihood of your being misunderstood.
 2

Now, when we come to electrical cells, it may be that the roles of the electrodes are reversed. What
was a positive electrode in an electrolytic cell may be the negative side of an electrical cell. What
are we going to call them? I suggest that, when we are talking about electrical cells we do not use
the word "electrode" at all. We shall refer to the positive pole and the negative pole of an electrical
cell.

Electrolysis of Water

I vaguely remember my first impressions of what is supposed to happen when two platinum
electrodes are dipped into water and a current is passed into the water. My guess is that, if the
water were very pure water (which is quite difficult to come by) very little would happen. Pure
water has very few ions in it (we'll discuss just how many a little later) and its electrical
conductivity is quite small – about 5.5 % 10−6 S m−1. However, real water is not pure; it usually
has enough impurities in it to supply plenty of ions and to make it a good conductor (and hence a
danger in the presence of high-voltage equipment).

My early impression (not quite accurate) of what happens when an electric current passes through
water was something like this. Water contains, in addition to billions of molecules of H2O, a few
ions formed through the partial dissociation of H2O:

H2O ↔ H+ + OH−

The hydrogen ions, which are the cations positive ions, move one way, and the hydroxyl ions,
which are the negative ions, move the other way.

Well, I'm happy to believe in the existence (if not, maybe, the movement) of the hydroxyl ions, but
not about the H+ ions, which are bare protons with an enormous electrical field. I don't think bare
protons exist in any liquid electrolyte, let alone water. I think the reaction is more like

H2O + H2O ↔ H3O+ + OH−

The positive ion is actually a hydrated proton, also known as “hydronium”.

My other problem is that I have difficulty in imagining these great clumsy ions trying to barge their
way (the H3O+ ions one way, and the hydroxyl ions the other way) through the milling crowd of
H2O molecules. If you imagine the positive electrode to be at the left and the negative electrode at
the right, so that the electric field is from left to right, I think what happens when an ion bumps into
a neutral water molecule is something like this:

H3O+ + H2O → H2O + H3O+

and H2O + OH− → OH− + H2O

In either case, a proton is swapped between the jostling bodies, and so the proton moves from left
to right.
 3

Be that as it may, the following reactions occur at the negative electrode

A fresh supply of hydroxyl ions is continuously being created while hydrogen molecules are being
released in gaseous form
2H2O + 2e− → 2OH− + H2 ↑

Also, arriving hydrated protons are neutralized:

2H3O+ + 2e− → 2H2O + H2 ↑

At the positive electrode, a fresh supply of hydrated protons is continuously being created while
oxygen molecules are being released in gaseous form. This happens by electrons from H2O
molecules being transferred to the positive electrode, in several stages, but with net result:

6H2O − 4e− → 4H3O+ + O2 ↑

In addition, arriving hydroxyl ions are neutralized:

4OH− − 4e− → 2H2O + O2 ↑

The whole process might seem a bit complicated, but, since we start off in water with twice as
many hydrogen atoms as oxygen atoms, naturally the electrolysis results in hydrogen molecules
being produced at twice the rate of oxygen molecules. Furthermore, the net result is the same as if
we had supposed that there were indeed OH− and H+ ions moving through the water as in the
simplest model.

One last point before we leave water. I mentioned that the electrical conductivity of pure water is
very small, and the number of ions is very small, so that probably not much would happen if you
tried to electrolyse pure water. Real water is rarely pure and it has enough impurity ions in it to
allow an electrolysis experiment to proceed smoothly. In pure water at room temperature there are
about 10−7 moles of hydrogen ions (hydrated protons) and a similar number of hydroxyl ions per
litre. In SI units, that is also 10−7 kmole per m3. If you add a little bit of acid, you of course very
much increase the number of hydrogen ions, and correspondingly the number of hydroxyl ions
drops. (Don’t worry – the solution remains electrically neutral! If, for example, the acid is HCl,
there will be lots of Cl− ions.) The number of hydrogen ions per litre might be, for example, 10−5
mole per litre, or kmole per m3. If you add a little alkali, you increase the number of hydroxyl ions
and correspondingly decrease the number of hydrogen atoms, perhaps to 10−9 mole per litre, or
kmole per m3. (Don’t worry – the solution remains electrically neutral! If, for example, the alkali
is NaOH, there will be lots of Na+ ions.)

The absolute value of that exponent (7 for the neutral solution, 5 for the acidic solution, 9 for the
alkaline solution) is called the pH. I think the symbol p was originally chosen from the German
Potenz, or potential or power. The pH is commonly used to describe the acidity or alkalinity of a
 4

solution. It is 7 for a neutral solution, less than 7 for an acidic solution, and greater than 7 for an
alkaline solution. Actually, pH is just a rather rough indication of acidity, and there is often not
much value in quoting a pH value to a large number of significant figures. For example, in hot
water, more water molecules are dissociated, so there are more hydrogen ions (and of course more
hydroxyl ions) so the pH value would nominally go down – though the hot water is no more acidic
that it was when it was cold.

Electrolysis of silver nitrate.

There are countless examples of electrolysis that could be told in an encyclopaedia devoted to the
subject, many of which are industrial applications. But I don’t want to (indeed cannot) write a
chemistry book. And indeed all that I need here is one example that is sufficient to introduce some
scientific words. I choose the electrolysis of silver nitrate partly because it is simple; partly
because at one time the practical definition of the amp was based on the rate of deposition of silver
from silver nitrate solution; partly because it enables me to mention Faraday's law and the
definition of the faraday, and even to mention Avogadro's number; partly because the electrolysis
of silver nitrate can be used for very precise measurement of electric current, and partly because it
is used in practice for silver plating.

The stoichiometric chemical formula for silver nitrate is AgNO3, though in fact, both in the
crystalline state and in solution, it consists of Ag+ and NO 3+ ions. During electrolysis of silver
nitrate solution with silver electrodes, silver, of course, is deposited on the negative electrode.
Oxygen is given off at the positive electrode. I mention this, because at one time (apart from the
obvious practical use in silver plating), this was used as the practical definition of the unit the amp,
or ampère. Indeed an “international amp” was that steady current which would deposit silver at a
rate of 0.001118 grams of silver per second from a solution of silver nitrate. (This value is very
close indeed to, though a tiny bit less than, the SI definition of the amp described in Chapter 6.)
Oxygen is given off at the positive electrode.

Faraday measured the mass of many metals deposited from various electrolytes, and he enunciated
what is now known as Faraday's Law of Electrolysis. In simple terms, and without using phrases
that are more familiar to chemists than to physicists, Faraday's law could be stated as:

Itµ
m ∝
v

That is to say, the mass m of a metal deposited on the cathode during electrolysis is proportional to
the total quantity of electricity passed (that is It, where I is the current and t is the time), to the
molar mass (i.e. the mass of a mole of the metal, popularly known as the "atomic weight") and
inversely proportional to the “valence” or “valency” v, which is just the charge on the ion. For
example aluminium has a valence of 3. Its ion has a charge of plus 3 electronic charges, and
consequently it needs three times the amount of electricity to deposit a mole of Al than to deposit,
say, a mole of univalent Ag. The molar mass of a metal divided by its valence is called the
electrochemical equivalent of the metal. It is the mass of metal that would be deposited by a
 5

µ m
coulomb of electricity. ( = . ) A silver nitrate electrolytic cell is in fact a very suitable
v It
instrument for the highly precise measurement of electric current. In this connection it is called a
voltameter, though I suppose “ammeter” would really be a better name!

So, how much electricity is required to deposit a mole of charge? (That is to say a mole of the
metal ions times the charge on each.) The amount of electricity required to deposit a mole of
charge (e.g. 108 grams of Ag, or 27 ÷ 3 = 9 grams of Al) from solution is called a faraday. It is
about 96,485 C, which is the charge of a mole (Avogadro's number) of electrons.

This is worth knowing, for a good examination question for physics students might be "How is
Avogadro's number determined?" This is obviously a very important thing for a physicist to know,
but a physics student with only a modest background in chemistry might not immediately think of
the answer, which is: by measuring the size of the faraday by measuring the mass of silver
deposited from silver nitrate solution. (Of course you have to use the SI definition of the amp for
this – it wouldn’t do to use the definition of the “international amp”!)