Understanding Electricity: The Relationship Between Magnets and Current

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter evthis
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Current Explanation
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between electricity and magnetism, specifically addressing why spinning a magnet around a wire produces an electric current. Participants explore definitions and theoretical explanations related to electromagnetic fields and currents.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the adequacy of a definition for electricity in explaining the phenomenon of current generation by a spinning magnet.
  • Another participant cites Faraday's law as relevant to the discussion but dismisses the usefulness of a definition of current or electricity in this context.
  • A different viewpoint defines electricity as the motion of electrical charge and describes the magnetic field as a result of a charge in motion, suggesting that understanding microscopic currents in a magnet could clarify the phenomenon.
  • One participant introduces the concept of electromagnetic fields produced by a charge in arbitrary motion and references the Lenard-Wiechert potentials, while also asserting that magnetostatics can exist independently of electric fields.
  • There is a contention regarding the relationship between electric and magnetic fields, with one participant challenging the assertion that magnetic fields are merely a result of changing electric fields due to motion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion features multiple competing views regarding the definitions and relationships between electricity and magnetism, indicating that there is no consensus among participants.

Contextual Notes

Participants express differing interpretations of electromagnetic theory, with some relying on established laws like Faraday's law, while others challenge the foundational definitions and relationships between electric and magnetic fields.

evthis
Is there a definition for the word electricity which will explain why spinning a magnet around a wire will produce a current?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Faraday's law explains the second part.While the definition of a current or "electricity' is pretty useless here.

Daniel.
 
Electricity: The motion of electrical charge (called "current" in physics)

Magnetic Field: The type of field produced by a charge in motion.

Magnetic field is just our name for the way electric fields change due to relative motion. The fact that a bar magnet can induce a current would seem much more natural if your eyes could see the the microscopic currents going on in the bar magnet.
 
A charge in arbitrary motion produces an electromagnetic field.U may check the Lenard-Wiechert potentials...And compute the fields (:devil:)

Crosson said:
Magnetic field is just our name for the way electric fields change due to relative motion.

That's bs.Magnetostatics exists very well,independently of any electric field/potential...

Daniel.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
3K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K