Define magnetic field lines. How do they determine magnetic field direction at a point in magnetic field?

Collegedunia Team logo

Collegedunia Team

Content Curator

Magnetic field lines are used to represent the direction and strength of magnetic fields. They are used to determine the direction of magnetic fields around a magnet or a current-carrying conductor. The magnetic field lines are closed curves that form continuous loops around the magnetic material or a current-carrying conductor.

The properties of magnetic field lines are as follows:

  • Magnetic field lines always form continuous loops around the magnet or current-carrying conductor, i.e. they are always closed curves.
  • The direction of the magnetic field lines is such that the tangent to the line at any point gives the direction of the magnetic field at that point.
  • Magnetic field lines never intersect with each other.
  • The density of magnetic field lines is directly proportional to the strength of the magnetic field at any point. Thus, the denser the magnetic field lines, the stronger the magnetic field.

For example, consider a bar magnet. When iron filings are scattered around a bar magnet, they align themselves along the magnetic field lines. The direction of the magnetic field lines can be determined by connecting the points where the iron filings lie. The lines will form closed loops, with the field lines emerging from the north pole and entering the south pole. The direction of the magnetic field at any point can be found by drawing a tangent to the magnetic field line at that point.

Similarly, the magnetic field around a current-carrying conductor can be visualized using magnetic field lines. When a current-carrying conductor is passed through a sheet of paper and iron filings are sprinkled on top, the iron filings align themselves along the magnetic field lines. The field lines form concentric circles around the conductor, with the direction of the magnetic field tangent to the circles at any point.

In summary, magnetic field lines are a useful tool to visualize the direction and strength of magnetic fields. They help to understand the behavior of magnets and current-carrying conductors and are useful in practical applications of electromagnetism.

Also check:

CBSE CLASS XII Related Questions

  • 1.
    Draw the number of scattered particles versus the scattering angle graph for scattering of alpha particles by a thin foil. Write two important conclusions that can be drawn from this plot.


      • 2.
        Two parallel plate capacitors X and Y are connected in series to a 6 V battery. They have the same plate area and same plate separation but capacitor X has air between its plates, whereas capacitor Y contains a material of dielectric constant 4. Calculate the capacitances of X and Y, if the equivalent capacitance of the combination of X and Y is \( 4 \, \mu\text{F} \). Calculate the potential difference across the plates of X and Y.


          • 3.
            Write the expression for the magnetic field due to a current element in vector form. Consider a 1 cm segment of a wire, centered at the origin, carrying a current of 10 A in positive x-direction. Calculate the magnetic field \( \mathbf{B} \) at a point \( (1 \, \text{m}, 1 \, \text{m}, 0) \).


              • 4.
                Suppose a pure Si crystal has \( 5 \times 10^{28} \) atoms per \( \text{m}^3 \). It is doped with \( 5 \times 10^{22} \) atoms per \( \text{m}^3 \) of Arsenic. Calculate majority and minority carrier concentration in the doped silicon. (Given: \( n_i = 1.5 \times 10^{16} \, \text{m}^{-3} \))


                  • 5.
                    What is displacement current (\( i_d \))? Considering the case of charging of a capacitor, show that \( i_d = \varepsilon_0 \frac{d\Phi_E}{dt} \). What is the value of \( i_d \) for a conductor across which a constant voltage is applied?


                      • 6.
                        A long solenoid of length \( L \) and radius \( r_1 \) having \( N_1 \) turns is surrounded symmetrically by a coil of radius \( r_2 \, (r_2>r_1) \) having \( N_2 \) turns (\( N_2 \ll N_1 \)) around its mid-point. Derive an expression for the mutual inductance of solenoid and coil. Is \( M_{12} = M_{21} \) valid in this case?

                          CBSE CLASS XII Previous Year Papers

                          Comments


                          No Comments To Show