magnetic field

noun
1.
a region of space near a magnet, electric current, or moving charged particle in which a magnetic force acts on any other magnet, electric current, or moving charged particle.
2.
magnetic intensity.
Origin
1835-45
Examples from the web for magnetic field
  • In its turn this magnetic field operates on the piece of iron, so that the latter strives to move towards the magnet.
  • Some materials-diamagnetic materials-are repelled by a magnetic field.
  • Auroral displays are initiated when charged particles in space collide with a planet's magnetic field.
  • The coil converts the current into a powerful magnetic field.
  • Instead, the coil is pulled through the external magnetic field, which induces a voltage across it.
  • Synchrotron radiation is caused when electrons are accelerated by a magnetic field.
  • Applying a magnetic field to part of the brain disrupts the electrical activity of the nerve cells for a few seconds.
  • These are molecules chosen because in an intense magnetic field their electrons can be precisely oriented.
  • The churning generates electric currents and, as a result, creates the planet's magnetic field.
  • They occur where regions of intense magnetic field emerge from inside the sun and extend outward to the solar surface.
British Dictionary definitions for magnetic field

magnetic field

noun
1.
a field of force surrounding a permanent magnet or a moving charged particle, in which another permanent magnet or moving charge experiences a force Compare electric field
magnetic field in Science
magnetic field  

  1. A field of force associated with changing electric fields, as when electric charges are in motion. Magnetic fields exert deflective forces on moving electric charges. Most magnets have magnetic fields as a result of the spinning motion of the electrons orbiting the atoms of which they are composed; electromagnets create such fields from electric current moving through coils. Large objects, such as the earth, other planets, and stars, also produce magnetic fields. See Note at magnetism.

  2. See magnetic field strength.


magnetic field in Culture

magnetic field definition


A magnetic field is said to exist in a region if a force can be exerted on a magnet. If a compass needle is deflected when it is put at a particular location, we say a magnetic field exists at that point, and the strength of the field is measured by the strength of the force of the compass needle. The Earth, the sun, and the Milky Way galaxy all have magnetic fields. All known magnetic fields are caused by the movement of electrical charges. Electrons in orbit in atoms give rise to magnetic fields, so that every atom is, like the Earth, surrounded by a magnetic field. (See magnet and magnetism.)