OOPS! I need more coffee before EM discussions I guess.
Please ignore the topographical / 3d surface analogy. Strength of a magnetic field is measured by the density of the field lines, not by number of lines between you and the source. --- Merlyn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > An interesting insight certainly, but does it > matter? > > Magnetic Field Lines are an artificial visualization > tool akin to the lines on a topographical map, the > actual magnetic field is seamless. > > Even if you are correct and the field lines do in > fact > form spirals, the same number of field lines will > still enter and leave a closed surface (except in > the > rare case of a surface which contains the field > producing conductor within it) > > The whole point is that a magnetic field can also be > visualized as a 3d surface, whose elevation (z axis) > represents field strength. Any closed loop on this > surface would have the same number of elevation > lines > (field lines) entering and exiting, which is to say > that if you walked around the loop you would end up > at > the same elevation as you started. > > Merlyn > > --- Grimer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > There are certain advantages is being a quasi modo > > in the > > cathedral of EM. > > > > One can rush in and utter terrible heresies in all > > innocence. > > > > I have been recently going through a rather > > comprehensive > > site on EM, to wit:- > > > > > http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/302l/lectures/lectures.html > > > > and I find that my recognition on general grounds > > that the field > > lines around a conductor form a tight spiral and > not > > a series of > > closed loops is anathema as far as "Gauss' law for > > magnetic fields" > > is concerned since, > > > > > > > ======================================================== > > An immediate corollary of the above law > > [i.e.Gauss' Law] > > is that the number of magnetic field lines > which > > enter > > a closed surface is always equal to the number > > of field > > lines which leave the surface. In other words: > > > > > Magnetic field lines form closed loops which > > never begin > > or end. Thus, magnetic field lines behave in a > > quite > > different manner to electric field lines, > which > > begin on > > positive charges, end on negative charges, and > > never form > > closed loops. > > > > > ======================================================== > > > > I suppose being a heretic would be more fun if I > had > > ever been > > baptised in the EM church - but then perhaps I > would > > have never > > seen the looniness of loops. > > > > I now realise why the hierarchical identity > between > > a coil and > > a capacitor has never been recognised in physical > > terms. > > > > I shall have to try and reconstruct the diagram I > > drew many years > > ago but never actually incorporated into any > > Internal Note. > > > > Cheers > > > > Frank Grimer > > > > > > > > > > > > > __________________________________ > Yahoo! Mail > Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the > tour: > http://tour.mail.yahoo.com/mailtour.html > > Merlyn Magickal Engineer and Technical Metaphysicist __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
