GROUP 1 :

CURRENT AND FIELD

Introduction

 Current: It can be define as the rate of a flow of charge through any

cross section of a conductor. Current is a rate quantity. There are several

rate quantities in physics. For instance, velocity is a rate quantity (the rate

at which an object changes its position). Mathematically, velocity is the

position change per time ratio. Acceleration is a rate quantity (the rate at

which an object changes its velocity). Mathematically, acceleration is the

velocity change per time ratio. And power is a rate quantity (the rate at

which work is done on an object). Mathematically, power is the work per

time ratio. In every case of a rate quantity, the mathematical equation

involves some quantity over time. Thus, current as a rate quantity would

be expressed mathematically as;

Current= I =Q/t where Q=amount of charge

t=time taken
 A common unit of electric current is the ampere. A. An ampere which is

defined as a flow of one coulomb of charge per second, or the centimetre–gram–

second units of current are the electrostatic unit of charge (esu) per second.

Note that the equation above uses the symbol I to represent the quantity

current.

 An electric field (sometimes E-field): is the physical field that

surrounds electrically- charged particles and exerts force on all other

charged particles in the field, either attracting or repelling them.

It also refers to the physical field for a system of charged particles. Electric fields

originate from electric charges, or from time-varying magnetic fields. Electric

fields and magnetic fields are both manifestations of the electromagnetic force,

one of the four fundamental forces (or interactions) of nature.

The electric field may be thought of as the force per unit positive charge that

would be exerted before the field is disturbed by the presence of the test charge.

The SI unit of the electric current is mathematically expressed as;

E=F/Q
Where F= force exerts on point charge
 Q= point charge

Electric fields are caused by electric charges, described by Gauss's law, and time

varying magnetic fields, described by Faraday's law of induction.

1. Gauss Law

Gauss law describes the nature of the electric field around electric charges. The

law is expressed in terms of electric charge density and electric charge density.

The inverted triangle is called the divergence operator.

The equations hold good at any point in space. When the electric charge exists

any somewhere, the divergence of D at that particular point is nonzero, else it is

zero.

2. Gauss’ Magnetism Law

You need to be familiar with Gauss Law for the electric field to understand this
You can see that both the equations indicate the divergence of the field. The top

equation states that the divergence of the electric flux density D equals the

volume of electric charge density.

The second equation states the divergence of the Magnetic Flux Density (B) is

null.

3. Faraday’s Law

Faraday was a scientist whose experiment setup led to Faraday’s

Law which is shown in the figure below.

directly proportional to the P.d across the ends of the conductor.

V=IR where V=potential difference

I= Current

R= resistance

Note: Ohm law is not a universal law. The substances which obey ohm’s law

are known as ohmic conductors.

- Electrical Resistance: The electrical resistance of a conductor is the

obstruction cause by the conductor with the flow of electric current

through it.

5. Coulomb’s Law

The magnitude of the force between two point charges is directly proportional

to the product of their charges and inversely promotional to the square of

their distance.

Coulomb’s law involves action at a distance. 1 charge affected by the other

with no physical contact between them. One way to look how this occurs is to

consider that, one charge modifies the properties of the space around it. And,
 the other charge then responds to these modifications. This modification of

the space is known as an electric field.

Together, these laws are enough to define the behaviour of the electric field.

However, since the magnetic field is described as a function of electric field, the

equations of both fields are coupled and together form Maxwell's equations that

describe both fields as a function of charges and currents.

Electric fields are important in many areas of physics, and are exploited

practically in electrical technology. In atomic physics and chemistry ... For

instance the electric field is the attractive force holding the atomic

nucleus and electrons together in atoms. It is also the force responsible

for chemical bonding between atoms that result in molecules.

The electric field is defined mathematically as a vector field that associates to

each point in space the (electrostatic or Coulomb) force per unit

of charge exerted on an infinitesimal positive test charge at rest at that

point. The derived SI units for the electric field are volts per meter (V/m), exactly

equivalent to Newton per coulomb (N/C).

- Field lines: We can represent an electric field lines diagrammatically by

drawing field lines or lines of force. This represent the direction of the

electric field at each point in space, to show the direction that a free

charge will take to follow field lines obey the following rules.
- Electric potential(V)

The electric potential at a point in an electric field is the work done in

bringing a unit positive charge from infinity to a point in electric field.

It is therefore written mathematically as;

V=W/Q

Where W=Work done

Q=electric charge

It follows that, the potential at infinity is Zero.

region

Electric current generates an accompanying magnetic field, as in electromagnets.

When an electric current flows in an external magnetic field, it experiences

a magnetic force, as in electric motors. The heat loss, or energy dissipated, by

electric current in a conductor is proportional to the square of the current.

 Magnetic field : If we run an electric current through a wire, it will

produce a magnetic field around the wire. The direction of this magnetic

field can be determined by the right-hand rule. , if you extend your thumb

and curl the fingers of your right hand, your thumb points in the positive

direction of the current, and your fingers curl in the north direction of the

magnetic field.

(According to the physics department at Buffalo State University of

New York).

Effects of a magnetic field

to both the magnetic field and their direction of motion. Fleming left hand rule

can be use to determine their direction to travel. Alpha particles travel in the

same direction as conventional current and are deflected upwards. Beta particles

are deflected in the opposite direction ( down words) , Gamma radiation carries

no charge and as result it travels straight.

Properties of Magnetic field lines

- The field lines go from N-pole to the S- pole

- Field lines repel each other sideways.

- Field lines try to be shorter

- The closer the field lines the stronger the field

An arrow indicates the direction of the field i.e. the path a free N-pole

would take if placed there.

The field pattern on a bar magnet placed on a table depends on the field

lines due to the magnet and those from the horizontal component of the

earth’s magnetic field. The pattern also depends on the direction in which

the magnet is lying.