LINE CONSTANT CALCULATIONS 17

can be easily remembered by means of the right hand rule. With the thumb pointing in the
direction of the current, the fingers of the right hand encircling the wire point in the direction
of the magnetic field.
According to Biot-Savarts law, the magnetic flux density at any point P as produced by
a current carrying element shown in Fig. 2.1 is given by
Idl sin
dB = (2.2)
4 r2
where dB = infinitesimal flux density at point P,
P
I = current in the element,
dB
dl = length of element, r
= angle between current direction and radius q
vector to P, and
dI I
r = radius vector.
In order to determine the magnetic flux density B
due to a long, straight or curved conductor, we assume
that the conductor is made up of infinitesimal lengths dl
and B is given by
Fig. 2.1 Flux density to a current
B=
4
z
I sin
r 2
dl (2.3)
carrying element.

The integration is carried out over the length of the conductor.

If relation (2.3) is made use of in evaluating the magnetic flux density B at any point
due to an infinite conductor, it is given by
I I
B= (2.4)
2R
where R = radial distance of the point from the conductor.
The direction of the flux density is normal to the plane R
containing the conductor and the radius vector R.
If B is now integrated around a path of radius R
enclosing the wire once (Fig. 2.2), we have

z Bdl = 2IR z dl
Fig. 2.2 Amperes law: Line integral
I
= . 2R = I of H over a closed path.
2R

or z Hdl = I as H = B (2.5)

In words it states that the line integral of H around a single closed path is equal to the
current enclosed. This is known as Amperes law. If the path of integration encloses N number
of turns of wire, each with a current I in the same direction, then

z Hdl = NI (2.6)