Is the magnetic field inside a solenoid stronger near the border?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the magnetic field strength within a solenoid, specifically addressing the misconception that the field is strongest at the center. Based on the Biot-Savart Law and simulations conducted using Python, participants concluded that the magnetic field is indeed stronger near the coils' borders. This finding aligns with graphs from Ravaud et al.'s paper "Calculation of the Magnetic Field Created by a Thick Coil" and Wikipedia's solenoid entry, which both illustrate a triangular field distribution. The uniformity of the field is greatest at the center, but the peak strength occurs near the coil itself.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the Biot-Savart Law
  • Familiarity with magnetic field concepts
  • Basic knowledge of solenoid physics
  • Proficiency in Python for simulations
NEXT STEPS
  • Explore advanced simulations of magnetic fields using Python libraries such as Matplotlib and NumPy
  • Study the effects of coil radius and axial length on magnetic field distribution
  • Investigate the mathematical derivation of the Biot-Savart Law
  • Learn about the applications of solenoids in electromagnetism
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, electrical engineers, and anyone interested in the principles of electromagnetism and magnetic field behavior in coils.

Rafikix
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I was reading some papers about calculating the magnetic field produced by a coil using the biot savart law and I saw some graphs that caught my attention.

rav.png

This one from a paper from Ravaud, et al. Titled "Calculation of the Magnetic Field Created by a Thick Coil". I saw similar graphs in other articles too.

1611891949303.png


And this one from the wikipedia entry for solenoids.

They seem to indicate that the magnetic field gets stronger near the border, whereas from my intuition I thought they were stronger in the center.
I also did a simulation in python using the biot savart law and the formula from Ravaud's paper and the plot looked like the wikipedia's one, with the magnetic field stronger nearing the border with that triangular shape.

How do I explain this?
 
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By "border" you mean coils? Yes, the field is strong near the coils.
 
Rafikix said:
rav-png.png
The center of the coil is at r=0...that would be about a foot off the side of my monitor. This is in a tenth inch thick wire turn I beleive.
 
Rafikix said:
whereas from my intuition I thought they were stronger in the center.
My intuition is that the coils are the source and the field always gets weaker as you go away from them. I will try to think of a proof.
 
For a long straight wire the field falls off as 1/r. If you get close enough everything is flat...
You mean coil center or wire center ?
 
Rafikix said:
They seem to indicate that the magnetic field gets stronger near the border, whereas from my intuition I thought they were stronger in the center.
The field is most uniform in the center. It is strongest near the coil.
 
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Rafikix said:
... from my intuition I thought they were stronger in the center...
To test intuitions consider extreme cases: Increase the radius of the coil towards infinity while keeping its axial length constant. Does your intuition still say that the field will be strongest in the middle, far far away from the conducting wire loop?
 
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