Solving E&M Midterm: Force & Torque on Magnetic Dipole

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the force and torque on a magnetic dipole in the presence of a line current using electromagnetic principles. The user applied the equations for force and torque, specifically \(\vec{F}=-\nabla U\) and \(\vec{\tau}=\vec{m}\times\vec{B}\), but arrived at incorrect results. The correct expressions provided by the professor are \(F_\varphi=-m_r\frac{B_\varphi}{r}\) and \(\tau_z=-rF_\varphi\), indicating a misunderstanding of the relationship between the magnetic dipole moment and the magnetic field generated by the line current.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electromagnetic theory, particularly magnetic dipoles
  • Familiarity with vector calculus, specifically gradient and cross product operations
  • Knowledge of Ampere's law and its application in magnetic field calculations
  • Proficiency in trigonometric functions and their application in physics
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of the magnetic field from a line current using Ampere's law
  • Learn about the properties of magnetic dipoles and their interactions with magnetic fields
  • Explore the concepts of force and torque in the context of magnetic systems
  • Review vector calculus techniques relevant to electromagnetic applications
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physics students, particularly those studying electromagnetism, as well as educators and professionals involved in teaching or applying concepts related to magnetic fields and dipoles.

Matterwave
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So I got a question on a E&M Midterm:

There is a line current of I at the origin going in the Z direction. There is a magnetic dipole of:
\vec{m}=m_r\hat{r}+m_\varphi\hat{\varphi} located at (r,\varphi). What is the force and torque on this magnetic dipole?

So I used the equations:
\vec{F}=-\nabla U=-\nabla(\vec{m}\cdot\vec{B})
\vec{\tau}=\vec{m}\times\vec{B}

I know from Ampere's law that the field is:
\vec{B}=\frac{\mu_0 I}{2\pi r}\hat{\varphi}

So, I reason that the angle between the field and the dipole is:
\theta=\frac{\pi}{2}-tan^{-1}(\frac{m_\varphi}{m_r})
Since the field is only in the \varphi direction, I just drew a triangle.
Therefore, I got that:
\vec{F}=-\nabla(\vec{m}\cdot\vec{B})=-\nabla(mBcos(\theta))=-\nabla(\frac{\mu_0 I}{2\pi r}\sqrt{m_\varphi^2+m_r^2}sin(tan^{-1}(\frac{m_\varphi}{m_r}))=\frac{\mu_0 I}{2\pi r^2}\sqrt{m_\varphi^2+m_r^2}sin(tan^{-1}(\frac{m_\varphi}{m_r}))\hat{r}
\vec{\tau}=\vec{m}\times\vec{B}=mBsin(\theta)\hat{z}=\frac{\mu_0 I}{2\pi r}\sqrt{m_\varphi^2+m_r^2}cos(tan^{-1}(\frac{m_\varphi}{m_r}))\hat{z}

Unfortunately these are all wrong, as far as I can tell from looking at my Professor's solutions. What did I do wrong? =(
 
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I should say what my Professor's answers were:

F_\varphi=-m_r\frac{B_\varphi}{r}
\tau_z=-rF_\varphi
 

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