Why does a moving charged particle produce a magnetic field? And why is the 'magnetic force' (is that the correct term?) generated by a moving charged particle perpendicular to the field as well as the velocity of the charged particle? Is there a known reason for these phenomena, other than these are what are predicted mathematically/observed experimentally?
What exactly is a magnetic field anyway? I know it is one part of the electromagnetic field, but that does not really tell me anything.
If possible, please explain in simple terms without using math (not a mathematician or a physicist!).
2007-03-31 18:43:33 · 6 answers · asked by Sithara B 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The reason that a moving charged particle creates a magnetic field is that electric charge and magnetism is really one in the same thing, it just depends on what frame of reference you are in.
Simply put, a particle looks like it simply has "electric charge" if it is not moving with respect to you. This means it can stand next to you at rest, or you can run next to it at the same speed, as losg as to you it looks like its not moving. On the other hand, if the charge does move, it will look more complex and have a magnetic property.
This is a case of toMAYto vs. toMAHto. The same charged particle will have different magnetic fields for different people who are looking at it in a different way. This may seem odd, but this is just because electricity and magnetism are just two sides of the same coin.
Magnetic and electric fields (once again, pretty much the same thing) are in a certain sense just maps. Each point on the map (the field) has a number. This number is the amount of force that another charged particle would feel if it were there. Fields don't really have much physical meaning in reality, but they make a lot of math easier. People created fields (they come from vector calculus), but we sometimes treat them as real physical objects to help us grasp complex ideas, such as how light works.
For the answer to why thing are the way they are, of course no one really knows. I'm pretty sure the currently held belief is that some short time after the big bang, mass formed out of pure energy, and somewhere along the line, particles with charge (electrons) began to exist. I don't know if I am personally satisfied with this, but I guess thats what science is for, to find out better answers. Anyway, I hope this helped a little.
2007-03-31 19:14:00 · answer #1 · answered by Tony O 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
WHY does a moving charged particle produce a magnetic field?
Why does a moving charged particle produce a magnetic field? And why is the 'magnetic force' (is that the correct term?) generated by a moving charged particle perpendicular to the field as well as the velocity of the charged particle? Is there a known reason for these phenomena, other...
2015-08-24 09:42:43 · answer #2 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maxwell's equations only tell you how electric and magnetic fields behave. They don't tell you why?
Electromagnetism is actually a relativistic effect.
It can be explained by Einstein's theory of relativity. I don't know much about it but it has to to with the lenght contraction of moving objects.
I found this site that explains it
http://physics.weber.edu/schroeder/mrr/MRRtalk.html
And this site has some animations
http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/einsteinlight/
2007-03-31 19:12:25 · answer #3 · answered by Voice of Insanity 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The fact that moving charged particles produce a magnetic field and that magnetic feild is perpendicular to the direction of motion are just properties of all charged particles, its just there. Like the force on a body is mass times acceleration. They are just physical properties of matter, and we use math to put observation accurately into the models that we build.
The magnetic field is just a force field like electric field and gravitational field etc. You can't really see them but the fields are just a good way of representing the effects of electromagnetism and gravitation etc.
2007-03-31 18:53:43 · answer #4 · answered by The Machine 2 · 3⤊ 2⤋
no one yet knows the origin of magnetic fields
2015-03-24 19:43:24 · answer #5 · answered by ? 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi. Not a simple task! Read Maxwell's equations if you REALLY want to understand. I do not grasp them yet. http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/MaxwellEquations.html
2007-03-31 18:48:44 · answer #6 · answered by Cirric 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to HowStuff Works.com, they have a whole bunch of easy to understand information. Good luck
2007-03-31 18:54:47 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Special relativity provides the answer, but I don't remember the explanation.
2007-03-31 20:15:33 · answer #8 · answered by robert 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Consider this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_field
2007-03-31 18:47:38 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋