Abstract
With the insight provided by a balance equation of electromagnetic momentum, we compare the force on a dielectric slab inside a capacitor with the force on a magnetizable rod inside a solenoid. We conclude that these forces are not exactly analogous, as usually thought. We present a device that is a proper analogy of the case of a dielectric slab inside a capacitor. Our analysis shows the significance of the electrostatic and magnetostatic pressures to the understanding of these effects and shows the conceptual differences between both cases.
Highlights
In the interaction of electromagnetic fields with matter, there appear forces that theory must explain in order to have some control on these forces
With the insight provided by a balance equation of electromagnetic momentum, we compare the force on a dielectric slab inside a capacitor with the force on a magnetizable rod inside a solenoid
We present a device that is a proper analogy of the case of a dielectric slab inside a capacitor
Summary
In the interaction of electromagnetic fields with matter, there appear forces that theory must explain in order to have some control on these forces. In the case of a dielectric slab inside a capacitor, the force is usually explained as the action of the non-uniform fringing electrostatic field on the electric dipoles of the dielectric. We have shown elsewhere [1] that this force arises rather from the action of Maxwell’s electrostatic stresses at the dielectric-vacuum interface. We have shown that the above magnetic effect arises from the magnetostatic stresses, but from the tension part of the stress [2]. This interpretation is based on the original conception of Faraday and Maxwell that the electromagnetic forces are transmitted through stresses in matter and vacuum. We have shown elsewhere [1] [2] that in the electric case the force has its origin in the compression around the lines of force, while in the magnetic case the force has its origin in the tension
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