Fundamental features of the magnetic field are given below, which will aid in understanding the invention and how this exploits the properties and behaviors, in particular the natural functions of the magnetic and dynamic lines.
The properties of a magnet are not limited to the magnetic body itself, but also influence the surrounding area. This can be easily demonstrated by placing a piece of glass or paper on a bar magnet and spreading iron fillings on the glass or paper. The iron fillings will be arranged in a particular pattern similar to that of figure 5.
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The fillings become small magnets under the influence of the bar magnet and the pattern of the fillings represents the magnetism of the bar magnet. The area around the magnet in which this effect is present is designated as magnetic field. The magnetic field may also be represented by a number of small compasses, arranged around the magnet as shown in figure 5. The magnetic field between two like poles is repulsive and is designated as heterogeneous and its representation with iron fillings is shown in figure 6.
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The magnetic field between two unlike poles is attractive and is designated as homogeneous and its representation with iron fillings is shown in figure 7.
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As regards the magnetic lines constituting the form of the magnetic fields, as shown in figures 5 and 7, these lead to the result that the magnetic field may be represented as lines arranged in a regular manner. These lines are frequently designated as magnetic lines or inductive lines. A magnetic line designated as Maxwell represents the path on which an isolated north-pole unit will tend to move when placed in a magnetic field. The total number entering or exiting a pole is designated as magnetic flux and is usually depicted with the letter Φ. While these lines are invisible and as usually said are imaginary, their influence or presence is experimentally demonstrated by means of the iron fillings and compasses. The magnetic lines follow specific rules, as mentioned below:
The magnetic lines always form a closed loop. The lines exit from the magnet at the north pole, follow specific paths in the surrounding area outside the magnet, enter the south pole and pass through the magnet towards the north pole, and in this way they form the closed loop shown in figure 5.
The magnetic lines never cross each other as shown in figures 5 to 7.
The magnetic lines can pass through almost any material, however they follow the path that offers the least resistance as shown in figure 8, but they tend to accumulate in magnetic materials and to deviate from non-magnetic materials. The magnetic materials offer less resistance to the penetration of magnetic lines than the non-magnetic materials.
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The magnetic lines behave as elastic loops. They shift outwards when a force is applied thereon and will return to their previous condition when the force is removed. As long as the magnetic lines do not cross each other they generally push the adjacent lines away.
As regards the dynamic lines, if one pole of a second magnet is brought in the magnetic field, a force will be applied thereon by the field. The force is proportional to the lines per square centimeter (cm) perpendicular to the field. These lines are designated as dynamic lines, and begin from one pole, pass through the surrounding space around the magnet and end to the other pole. In this sense, these differ from the magnetic-inductive lines, which are always closed loops. The dynamic lines and the inductive lines are the same when their path is in the air, but differ when their path is through a magnetic object.[/b]