Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/paper-1/section-c/c9/d/solution
Past exam of the physics B course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Paper 1 Section C C9 d Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
In the small-body approximation, write , with . The induced magnetic dipole moment is . Its effective interaction potential energy at fixed source current isThe factor accounts for inducing the moment: differentiating as if the moment were permanent would double the force. Equivalently, the instantaneous dipole force is . Thus the force on a small linearly magnetizable body isFrom part (b), . HenceFor the ideal slender rod, . If the source's printed magnetisation is imposed instead, its corresponding conditional answer isFor and , both expressions point toward the loop, where the applied magnetic field is stronger; for the direction reverses toward the loop plane. A material with diamagnetism, , reverses this attraction. The force is in newtons, since a magnetic dipole moment times a field gradient has units . Both formulas assume linear response, negligible saturation and approximately uniform applied field across the sample.
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