What Ampère could have done: A simple demonstration of the Biot-Savart and magnetic force laws

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-1982

Abstract

Within six years of the time Ampère learned of Oersted's observations, he had completely elucidated the principles by which the magnetic interactions between steady currents can be calculated. In constructing his demostration, he used Oersted's experiment only to infer that, in general, two electrical circuits will exert forces on each other; and he made no use of previous knowledge of magnetics. Eschewing such restrictions, we give a simpler demonstration of a simpler but equivalent result. Our method is one that Ampère could have chosen, and that (unlike his) can be understood by any junior-senior student in physics or engineering. © 1982, American Association of Physics Teachers. All rights reserved.

Publication Title

American Journal of Physics

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