Mechanical Universe

William Gilbert, personal physician by appointment to her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I of England, discovered that the earth behaves like a giant magnet. Magnetism as a natural phenomenon, the behavior of magnetic materials, and the motion of charged particles in a magnetic field.

Learning Objectives

Be able to calculate the magnetic force on a current element and on a moving charge in a given magnetic field.
Know the definition of torque and potential energy for a magnetic dipole.
Be able to explain the concept of domains in ferromagnetic materials.
Be able to use the definition of magnetic flux and discuss the significance of the result that the net magnetic flux out of a closed surface is zero.
Be able to calculate the magnetic moment of a current loop and the torque exerted on a current loop in a magnetic field.
Be able to discuss the magnetism of the Earth.