Why cant thelectric field be in circumferential direction?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the nature of electric fields, specifically why they cannot be oriented in a circumferential direction, and how this relates to magnetic fields. Participants explore concepts from electromagnetism, including the curl of electric and magnetic fields, and the implications of magnetic monopoles.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question the meaning of "circumferential" in the context of electric fields and suggest that while electric fields can loop in circuits, they cannot form circular field lines due to potential differences.
  • There is a discussion about the direction of the magnetic field, with a suggestion to use a small magnetized needle to determine it.
  • Participants note the similarity between the equations governing electric and magnetic fields, specifically the curl equations, but express uncertainty about how this relates to the direction of the electric field being longitudinal.
  • One participant introduces the concept of magnetic monopoles, arguing that their absence breaks the symmetry between electric and magnetic fields, suggesting that if magnetic monopoles existed, they could generate circumferential electric fields similar to how electric currents generate circumferential magnetic fields.
  • There are repeated inquiries about why the electric field outside a certain configuration vanishes, with references to the total current and the static nature of the problem.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the nature of circumferential electric fields and the implications of magnetic monopoles. The discussion remains unresolved, with multiple competing perspectives on the relationship between electric and magnetic fields.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference specific equations and concepts from electromagnetism, but there is a lack of consensus on the implications of these equations, particularly regarding the directionality of electric fields in relation to magnetic fields.

garylau
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Sorry

in this question i have several things to ask
1.why can't the E field in the circumferential direction?
2.How can i find the direction of B field

3.according to the formula of curl E=-dB/dt and the curlB=u J
did they share the same property so that the direction of E is circumferential (just like B dl=u i which is ampere law so that the direction B is circumferential) and dB/dt is going straight(just the the current is going straight which is enclosed inside the boundary)?

thank
 

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1. I don't know what you mean by "circumferential".
Clearly it is possible to set up an electric field that goes in a loop: it's called an electric circuit.
But you cannot have a circular field line because the line has to start and end at different potentials.

2. You use a small magnetised needle balanced on a pivot.

3. The similarity in the equations shows that there is a similarity in the equations ...
Note, they should be:
##\nabla\times\vec E = -\partial_t\vec B## and
##\nabla\times\vec B = \mu_0\left( \vec J +\epsilon_0\partial_t \vec E \right)##
... if ##\vec J = 0## the two equations look even more alike ;)

Check what "curl" means:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curl_(mathematics)
 
Simon Bridge said:
1. I don't know what you mean by "circumferential".
Clearly it is possible to set up an electric field that goes in a loop: it's called an electric circuit.
But you cannot have a circular field line because the line has to start and end at different potentials.

2. You use a small magnetised needle balanced on a pivot.

3. The similarity in the equations shows that there is a similarity in the equations ...
Note, they should be:
##\nabla\times\vec E = -\partial_t\vec B## and
##\nabla\times\vec B = \mu_0\left( \vec J +\epsilon_0\partial_t \vec E \right)##
... if ##\vec J = 0## the two equations look even more alike ;)

Check what "curl" means:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curl_(mathematics)
you can see this picture clearly
the solution states:The magnetic field is “circumferential” in the quasistatic approximation."...but i don't know how did the solution concluded "Thus the direction of the electric field is longitudinal" from the simiarlty between the relation between the electric and magnetic fields?
 

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What breaks the symmetry between the magnetic and the electric is the lack of magnetic monopoles: north and south magnetic charges that emanate magnetic field in the way positive and negative electric charges emanate electric field. If you had a magnetic wire carrying magnetic monopoles in a straight line they would generate a circumferential electric field in the same way an electric current generates a circumferential magnetic field.
 
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mike.Albert99 said:
What breaks the symmetry between the magnetic and the electric is the lack of magnetic monopoles: north and south magnetic charges that emanate magnetic field in the way positive and negative electric charges emanate electric field. If you had a magnetic wire carrying magnetic monopoles in a straight line they would generate a circumferential electric field in the same way an electric current generates a circumferential magnetic field.
mike.Albert99 said:
What breaks the symmetry between the magnetic and the electric is the lack of magnetic monopoles: north and south magnetic charges that emanate magnetic field in the way positive and negative electric charges emanate electric field. If you had a magnetic wire carrying magnetic monopoles in a straight line they would generate a circumferential electric field in the same way an electric current generates a circumferential magnetic field.
But Why did the Electric field outside vanished in this case?
 
Simon Bridge said:
1. I don't know what you mean by "circumferential".
Clearly it is possible to set up an electric field that goes in a loop: it's called an electric circuit.
But you cannot have a circular field line because the line has to start and end at different potentials.

2. You use a small magnetised needle balanced on a pivot.

3. The similarity in the equations shows that there is a similarity in the equations ...
Note, they should be:
##\nabla\times\vec E = -\partial_t\vec B## and
##\nabla\times\vec B = \mu_0\left( \vec J +\epsilon_0\partial_t \vec E \right)##
... if ##\vec J = 0## the two equations look even more alike ;)

Check what "curl" means:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curl_(mathematics)
But Why did the Electric field outside vanished in this case?
 
In what case? Please be specific.
 
Simon Bridge said:
In what case? Please be specific.
See the statement inside the red circle.
 

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Oh so the question had nothing to do with the quoted text? Fine.
To see why the electric field vanishes, try doing the problem.
 
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Simon Bridge said:
Oh so the question had nothing to do with the quoted text? Fine.
To see why the electric field vanishes, try doing the problem.
because the total current inside the object is 0?
 
  • #11
That contributes to it, yes, but the main point is the absence of magnetic charges and the fact that the problem assumes a static situation.
 

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