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The magnetic field is generated by a feedback loop: current loops generate magnetic fields (Ampère's circuital law); a changing magnetic field generates an electric field (Faraday's law); and the electric and magnetic fields exert a force on the charges that are flowing in currents (the Lorentz force). [58]
The magnetic field of a magnetic dipole has an inverse cubic dependence in distance, so its order of magnitude at the earth surface can be approximated by multiplying the above result with (R outer core ⁄ R Earth) 3 = (2890 ⁄ 6370) 3 = 0.093 , giving 2.5×10 −5 Tesla, not far from the measured value of 3×10 −5 Tesla at the equator.
The spacing between field lines is an indicator of the relative strength of the magnetic field. Where magnetic field lines converge the field grows stronger, and where they diverge, weaker. Now, it can be shown that in the motion of gyrating particles, the "magnetic moment" μ = W ⊥ /B (or relativistically, p ⊥ 2 /2mγB) stays very nearly ...
The magnetic field of larger magnets can be obtained by modeling them as a collection of a large number of small magnets called dipoles each having their own m. The magnetic field produced by the magnet then is the net magnetic field of these dipoles; any net force on the magnet is a result of adding up the forces on the individual dipoles.
As such, they are often written as E(x, y, z, t) (electric field) and B(x, y, z, t) (magnetic field). If only the electric field (E) is non-zero, and is constant in time, the field is said to be an electrostatic field. Similarly, if only the magnetic field (B) is non-zero and is constant in time, the field is said to be a magnetostatic field.
The magnetic moment of an object is an intrinsic property and does not change with distance, and thus can be used to measure "how strong" a magnet is. For example, Earth possesses an enormous magnetic moment, however we are very distant from its center and experience only a tiny magnetic flux density (measured in tesla ) on its surface.
Earth's magnetic field at 0° latitude (on the equator) 58 μT: 580 mG: Earth's magnetic field at 50° latitude: 10 −4 T 100 μT: 1 G: Magnetic flux density that will induce an electromotive force of 10 −8 volts in each centimeter of a wire moving perpendicularly at 1 centimeter / second by definition (1 gauss = 1 maxwell ...
Study of Earth's magnetosphere began in 1600, when William Gilbert discovered that the magnetic field on the surface of Earth resembled that of a terrella, a small, magnetized sphere. In the 1940s, Walter M. Elsasser proposed the model of dynamo theory, which attributes Earth's magnetic field to the motion of Earth's iron outer core.