[Physics] Time Varying Magnetic Field

electromagnetismmagnetic fields

What is said time varying magnetic field? I have heard a lot about it and the Internet is not willing to give me any answers. I assume time varying is a qualification, I was reading around here and heard about an induced magnetic field so I take it that is another qualification? What does that mean? Thank you.

Best Answer

Time-varying means that as time, $t$, increases, the magnetic field changes. One of the more common representations is a sinusoidal wave:

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(image from the linked Wikipedia page). Though the image above says $x$, the relation between $x$ and $\sin(x)$ is what is important.

With magnetic fields, Maxwell's equations, $$ \nabla\cdot\mathbf E=\frac\rho{\epsilon_0} \quad \nabla\cdot\mathbf B=0 \\ \nabla\times\mathbf E=0 \quad \nabla\times\mathbf B=\mu_0\mathbf J $$ (where $\mathbf E$ is the electric field, $\mathbf B$ the magnetic field, $\mathbf J$ the current density, $\epsilon_0$ the vacuum permittivity, $\rho$ the charge density, and $\mu_0$ the vacuum permeability) then become $$ \nabla\cdot\mathbf E=\frac\rho{\epsilon_0} \quad \nabla\cdot\mathbf B=0 \\ \nabla\times\mathbf E=\color{blue}{-\frac{\partial\mathbf B}{\partial t}} \quad \nabla\times\mathbf B=\mu_0\mathbf J+\color{blue}{\frac{1}{c^2}\frac{\partial\mathbf E}{\partial t}} $$ where the blue-colored terms show that the two fields induce each other when changing in space and/or time.

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