Tesla (unit)
Encyclopedia
The tesla is the SI derived unit
SI derived unit
The International System of Units specifies a set of seven base units from which all other units of measurement are formed, by products of the powers of base units. These other units are called SI derived units, for example, the SI derived unit of area is square metre , and of density is...

 of magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...

 B (which is also known as "magnetic flux density"). One tesla is equal to one weber
Weber (unit)
In physics, the weber is the SI unit of magnetic flux. A flux density of one Wb/m2 is one tesla.The weber is named for the German physicist Wilhelm Eduard Weber .- Definition :...

 per square meter, and it was defined in 1960 in honour of the inventor, physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...

, and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...

. The strongest fields encountered from permanent magnets are from Halbach spheres which can be over 5 T.

Definition

A particle carrying a charge of 1 coulomb and passing through a magnetic field of 1 tesla at a speed of 1 meter per second perpendicular to said field experiences a force of 1 newton, according to the Lorentz force law.
As an SI derived unit
SI derived unit
The International System of Units specifies a set of seven base units from which all other units of measurement are formed, by products of the powers of base units. These other units are called SI derived units, for example, the SI derived unit of area is square metre , and of density is...

, the tesla can also be expressed as


(in SI base unit
SI base unit
The International System of Units defines seven units of measure as a basic set from which all other SI units are derived. These SI base units and their physical quantities are:* metre for length...

s).

Units used:
A = ampere
Ampere
The ampere , often shortened to amp, is the SI unit of electric current and is one of the seven SI base units. It is named after André-Marie Ampère , French mathematician and physicist, considered the father of electrodynamics...

C = coulomb
kg = kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...

m = meter
N = newton
s = second
Second
The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock....

T = tesla
V = volt
Volt
The volt is the SI derived unit for electric potential, electric potential difference, and electromotive force. The volt is named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta , who invented the voltaic pile, possibly the first chemical battery.- Definition :A single volt is defined as the...

Wb = weber
Weber (unit)
In physics, the weber is the SI unit of magnetic flux. A flux density of one Wb/m2 is one tesla.The weber is named for the German physicist Wilhelm Eduard Weber .- Definition :...


Electric vs Magnetic Field

The difference between magnetic field strength (in tesla) vs electric field strength can be confusing.

The difference is that a force of magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...

 on a charged particle is generally due to the charged particle's movement while the force imparted by an electric field on a charged particle is not due to the charged particle's movement. This can be seen by looking at the units for each. Electric field
Electric field
In physics, an electric field surrounds electrically charged particles and time-varying magnetic fields. The electric field depicts the force exerted on other electrically charged objects by the electrically charged particle the field is surrounding...

 is N/C, while magnetic field (in tesla) can be written as N/(C*m/s). The difference between the two is m/s, or velocity. This can further be seen by noting that whether a field is magnetic or electric is dependent on one's relativistic reference frame (that is: one's velocity relative to the field).

In ferromagnets the movement creating the magnetic field is the electron spin (and to a lesser extent electron orbital angular momentum). In current carrying wire (electromagnets) the movement is due to electrons moving through the wire (whether the wire's straight or circular).

History

The tesla was announced in honor of the Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...

 inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...

, during the Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures
General Conference on Weights and Measures
The General Conference on Weights and Measures is the English name of the Conférence générale des poids et mesures . It is one of the three organizations established to maintain the International System of Units under the terms of the Convention du Mètre of 1875...

 in 1960.

Conversions

1 tesla is equivalent to:
10,000 (or 104) G (gauss
Gauss (unit)
The gauss, abbreviated as G, is the cgs unit of measurement of a magnetic field B , named after the German mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss. One gauss is defined as one maxwell per square centimeter; it equals 1 tesla...

), used in the CGS system. Thus, 10 G = 1 mT (millitesla), and 1 G = 10−4 T.
1,000,000,000 (or 109) γ (gammas), used in geophysics
Geophysics
Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...

. Thus, 1 γ = 1 nT (nanotesla)


For those concerned with low-frequency electromagnetic radiation in the home, the following conversions are needed most:
1000 nT (nanotesla) = 1 µT (microtesla) = 10 mG (milligauss)
1,000,000 µT = 1 T


Because the tesla is so large in regards to everyday usage, common engineering practice is to report the strength of magnets in Gauss. Scientists are split on this issue, with some insisting on proper SI units at all times and some allowing for more practical labeling.

For the relation to the units of the magnetizing field (amperes per meter or oersted
Oersted
Oersted is the unit of magnetizing field in the CGS system of units.-Difference between cgs and SI systems:...

s) see the article on permeability
Permeability (electromagnetism)
In electromagnetism, permeability is the measure of the ability of a material to support the formation of a magnetic field within itself. In other words, it is the degree of magnetization that a material obtains in response to an applied magnetic field. Magnetic permeability is typically...

.

Examples

  • 31 µT (3.1×10−5 T) - strength of Earth's magnetic field at 0° latitude (on the equator)
  • 5 mT - the strength of a typical refrigerator magnet
  • 1.25 T - magnetic field intensity at the surface of a neodymium magnet
    Neodymium magnet
    A neodymium magnet , the most widely-used type of rare-earth magnet, is a permanent magnet made from an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron to form the Nd2Fe14B tetragonal crystalline structure. Developed in 1982 by General Motors and Sumitomo Special Metals, neodymium magnets are the strongest...

  • 1 T to 2.4 T - coil gap of a typical loudspeaker magnet
  • 1.5 T to 3 T - strength of medical magnetic resonance imaging systems in practice, experimentally up to 17 T

External links

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