54

A Students guide to Maxwells Equations

~
~
r
B The divergence of the magnetic field
This expression is the entire left side of the differential form of Gausss
law, and it represents the divergence of the magnetic field. Since divergence is by definition the tendency of a field to flow away from a point
more strongly than toward that point, and since no point sources or sinks
of the magnetic field have ever been found, the amount of incoming
field is exactly the same as the amount of outgoing field at every point.
So it should not surprise you to find that the divergence of ~
B is always
zero.
To verify this for the case of the magnetic field around a long, currentcarrying wire, take the divergence of the expression for the wires magnetic field as given in Table 2.1:



~
~
~
l0 I
^ :
div~
B r
B r
2:6
2pr
This is most easily determined using cylindrical coordinates:
1@
1 @Bf @Bz
~
~
r
B

:
rBr
r @r
r @f
@z

2:7

which, since ~
B has only a u-component, is
1 @ l0 I=2pr
~
~
0:
r
B
r
@

2:8

You can understand this result using the following reasoning: since
the magnetic field makes circular loops around the wire, it has no radial
or z-dependence. And since the u-component has no u-dependence (that
is, the magnetic field has constant amplitude around any circular path
centered on the wire), the flux away from any point must be the same as
the flux toward that point. This means that the divergence of the magnetic field is zero everywhere.
Vector fields with zero divergence are called solenoidal fields, and all
magnetic fields are solenoidal.

Gausss law for magnetic fields

~
~
r
B0

55

Applying Gausss law (differential form)

Knowing that the divergence of the magnetic field must be zero allows
you to attack problems involving the spatial change in the components of
a magnetic field and to determine whether a specified vector field could be
a magnetic field. This section has examples of such problems.
Example 2.3: Given incomplete information about the components of
a magnetic field, use Gausss law to establish relationships between those
components
Problem: A magnetic field is given by the expression
~
B axz ^i byz ^j c^k
What is the relationship between a and b?
Solution: You know from Gausss law for magnetic fields that the
divergence of the magnetic field must be zero. Thus
@Bx @By @Bz
~
~
r
B

0:
@x
@y
@z
Thus
@axz @byz @c

0
@x
@y
@z
and
az bz 0 0;
which means that a b.
Example 2.4: Given an expression for a vector field, determine whether
that field could be a magnetic field.
Problem: A vector field is given by the expression
~
Ax; y a cosbx^i aby sinbx^j:
Could this field be a magnetic field?
Solution: Gausss law tells you that the divergence of all magnetic fields
must be zero, and checking the divergence of this vector field gives

56

A Students guide to Maxwells Equations

@
@
~
~
r
A a cosbx aby sinbx
@x
@y
ab sinbx ab sinbx 0

which indicates that ~

A could represent a magnetic field.
Problems
The following problems will check your understanding of Gausss law
for magnetic fields. Full solutions are available on the books website.
2.1 Find the magnetic flux produced by the magnetic field ~
B 5^i  3^j
4^knT through the top, bottom, and side surfaces of the flared cylinder
shown in the figure.
z
B

Rtop

Rbottom

2.2 What is the change in magnetic flux through a 10 cm by 10 cm square

lying 20 cm from a long wire carrying a current that increases from 5
to 15 mA? Assume that the wire is in the plane of the square and
parallel to the closest side of the square.
2.3 Find the magnetic flux through all five surfaces of the wedge shown
in the figure if the magnetic field in the region is given by
~
B 0:002^i 0:003^j T;
and show that the total flux through the wedge is zero.
z

130 cm
y
70 cm
50 cm
x

Gausss law for magnetic fields

57

2.4 Find the flux of the Earths magnetic field through each face of a
cube with 1-m sides, and show that the total flux through the cube
is zero. Assume that at the location of the cube the Earths
magnetic field has amplitude of 4 105 T and points upward at
an angle of 30
with respect to the horizontal. You may orient the
cube in any way you choose.
2.5 A cylinder of radius r0 and height h is placed inside an ideal solenoid
with the cylinders axis parallel to the axis of the solenoid. Find the
flux through the top, bottom, and curved surfaces of the cylinder and
show that the total flux through the cylinder is zero.
2.6 Determine whether the vector fields given by the following
expressions in cylindrical coordinates could be magnetic fields:
(a)

a
~
Ar; ; z cos2 ^r ;
r

(b)

a
~
Ar; ; z 2 cos2 ^r :
r

3
Faradays law

In a series of epoch-making experiments in 1831, Michael Faraday

demonstrated that an electric current may be induced in a circuit by
changing the magnetic flux enclosed by the circuit. That discovery is
made even more useful when extended to the general statement that a
changing magnetic field produces an electric field. Such induced electric fields are very different from the fields produced by electric charge,
and Faradays law of induction is the key to understanding their
behavior.

3.1 The integral form of Faradays law

In many texts, the integral form of Faradays law is written as
I

d
~
E
d~l 
dt
C

~
B
^
n da

Faradays law integral form:

Some authors feel that this form is misleading because it confounds two
distinct phenomena: magnetic induction (involving a changing magnetic
field) and motional electromotive force (emf) (involving movement of a
charged particle through a magnetic field). In both cases, an emf is
produced, but only magnetic induction leads to a circulating electric field
in the rest frame of the laboratory. This means that this common version
of Faradays law is rigorously correct only with the caveat that ~
E rep~
resents the electric field in the rest frame of each segment d l of the path of
integration.

58