magnetic dipole moment
a measure of the magnetic strength of a magnet or current-carrying coil, expressed as the torque per unit magnetic-flux density produced when the magnet or coil is set with its axis perpendicular to the magnetic field: Symbol: m, j Also called: magnetic moment Compare electromagnetic moment
Words Nearby magnetic dipole moment
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for magnetic dipole moment
A vector quantity associated with the magnetic properties of electric current loops or, more generally, magnets. It is equal to the amount of current flowing through the loop multiplied by the area encompassed by the loop, and its direction is established by the right hand rule for rotations. It can be thought of as a vector pointing from the south to the north of a magnetic dipole, and is then equal to the length of the dipole times the strength of either of its poles. Also called magnetic moment
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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