Why cant thelectric field be in circumferential direction?

In summary, the electric field inside the object is "circumferential" in the quasistatic approximation. However, the electric field outside the object vanishes when the total current inside the object is zero.
  • #1
garylau
70
3
Sorry

in this question i have several things to ask
1.why can't the E field in the circumferential direction?
2.How can i find the direction of B field

3.according to the formula of curl E=-dB/dt and the curlB=u J
did they share the same property so that the direction of E is circumferential (just like B dl=u i which is ampere law so that the direction B is circumferential) and dB/dt is going straight(just the the current is going straight which is enclosed inside the boundary)?

thank
 

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  • #2
1. I don't know what you mean by "circumferential".
Clearly it is possible to set up an electric field that goes in a loop: it's called an electric circuit.
But you cannot have a circular field line because the line has to start and end at different potentials.

2. You use a small magnetised needle balanced on a pivot.

3. The similarity in the equations shows that there is a similarity in the equations ...
Note, they should be:
##\nabla\times\vec E = -\partial_t\vec B## and
##\nabla\times\vec B = \mu_0\left( \vec J +\epsilon_0\partial_t \vec E \right)##
... if ##\vec J = 0## the two equations look even more alike ;)

Check what "curl" means:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curl_(mathematics)
 
  • #3
Simon Bridge said:
1. I don't know what you mean by "circumferential".
Clearly it is possible to set up an electric field that goes in a loop: it's called an electric circuit.
But you cannot have a circular field line because the line has to start and end at different potentials.

2. You use a small magnetised needle balanced on a pivot.

3. The similarity in the equations shows that there is a similarity in the equations ...
Note, they should be:
##\nabla\times\vec E = -\partial_t\vec B## and
##\nabla\times\vec B = \mu_0\left( \vec J +\epsilon_0\partial_t \vec E \right)##
... if ##\vec J = 0## the two equations look even more alike ;)

Check what "curl" means:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curl_(mathematics)
you can see this picture clearly
the solution states:The magnetic field is “circumferential” in the quasistatic approximation."...but i don't know how did the solution concluded "Thus the direction of the electric field is longitudinal" from the simiarlty between the relation between the electric and magnetic fields?
 

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  • #4
What breaks the symmetry between the magnetic and the electric is the lack of magnetic monopoles: north and south magnetic charges that emanate magnetic field in the way positive and negative electric charges emanate electric field. If you had a magnetic wire carrying magnetic monopoles in a straight line they would generate a circumferential electric field in the same way an electric current generates a circumferential magnetic field.
 
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  • #5
mike.Albert99 said:
What breaks the symmetry between the magnetic and the electric is the lack of magnetic monopoles: north and south magnetic charges that emanate magnetic field in the way positive and negative electric charges emanate electric field. If you had a magnetic wire carrying magnetic monopoles in a straight line they would generate a circumferential electric field in the same way an electric current generates a circumferential magnetic field.
mike.Albert99 said:
What breaks the symmetry between the magnetic and the electric is the lack of magnetic monopoles: north and south magnetic charges that emanate magnetic field in the way positive and negative electric charges emanate electric field. If you had a magnetic wire carrying magnetic monopoles in a straight line they would generate a circumferential electric field in the same way an electric current generates a circumferential magnetic field.
But Why did the Electric field outside vanished in this case?
 
  • #6
Simon Bridge said:
1. I don't know what you mean by "circumferential".
Clearly it is possible to set up an electric field that goes in a loop: it's called an electric circuit.
But you cannot have a circular field line because the line has to start and end at different potentials.

2. You use a small magnetised needle balanced on a pivot.

3. The similarity in the equations shows that there is a similarity in the equations ...
Note, they should be:
##\nabla\times\vec E = -\partial_t\vec B## and
##\nabla\times\vec B = \mu_0\left( \vec J +\epsilon_0\partial_t \vec E \right)##
... if ##\vec J = 0## the two equations look even more alike ;)

Check what "curl" means:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curl_(mathematics)
But Why did the Electric field outside vanished in this case?
 
  • #7
In what case? Please be specific.
 
  • #8
Simon Bridge said:
In what case? Please be specific.
See the statement inside the red circle.
 

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  • #9
Oh so the question had nothing to do with the quoted text? Fine.
To see why the electric field vanishes, try doing the problem.
 
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  • #10
Simon Bridge said:
Oh so the question had nothing to do with the quoted text? Fine.
To see why the electric field vanishes, try doing the problem.
because the total current inside the object is 0?
 
  • #11
That contributes to it, yes, but the main point is the absence of magnetic charges and the fact that the problem assumes a static situation.
 

FAQ: Why cant thelectric field be in circumferential direction?

What is an electric field?

An electric field is a physical quantity that describes the influence that a charged particle has on other charged particles in its vicinity. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.

Why is the electric field typically represented as a vector?

The electric field is typically represented as a vector because it has both magnitude and direction. This helps in visualizing and understanding the effects of the electric field on charged particles in its vicinity.

Why can't the electric field be in circumferential direction?

The electric field cannot be in circumferential direction because it is a vector quantity and must follow the laws of vector addition. In a circumferential direction, the electric field would not be able to combine with other electric fields in a consistent and predictable manner.

Can the electric field be in any direction?

Yes, the electric field can be in any direction in three-dimensional space. However, it is often represented as a radial field, which is directed away from or towards a point charge, or as a tangential field, which is directed tangentially to the surface of a charged object.

What is the significance of the direction of the electric field?

The direction of the electric field indicates the direction in which a positive test charge would move if placed in that field. It also determines the direction of the force exerted on a charged particle by the electric field.

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