Creating electromagnets questions

[Lefteris]

Hello all,

I am a computer science graduate who has gotten involved in robotics a lot lately. I am finding myself getting more and more mechanical/physics related questions in my mind, such as this one.

The question is: I know how to create an electromagnet by wrapping a big wire around a metal many times and then letting current flow through. What I do not know is where can I find the equations which determine the strength of the magnetic field and what it depends on? Like ... is it the current, the number of turns the coil has?, the size/type of the metal? All of the above?

Another question is: Apart from the occasional internet search and my high school physics knowledge is there any book you could advice which I should read in order to refresh on many physics concepts since they seem to pop up more and more in my every day life?

Thanks in advance for any answers.

 

[pallidin]

Here's a few sites which may be helpful:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_field

http://www.coolmagnetman.com/magmath.htm

http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/phy122/New_Lecture_Notes/Chapter35/chapter35.html

http://www.utc.edu/Faculty/Tatiana-Allen/magfield.html

 

[Lefteris]

Thank you very much for your reply and for your links.

One last question. Since as I said above I find myself needing more and more physics would you or any other person in here have a good book in physics , (starting from classical physics offcourse) to suggest?

I read the special forum of this site dedicated on Physics books and one book : Classical Mechanics keeps coming up. But I would just like some additional advice if possible of course before I go off actually buying a book.