Page:Philosophical magazine 21 series 4.djvu/190

170 on A will be to pull it more powerfully towards D than towards C; that is, A will tend to move to the north.

Let B in fig. 2 represent a south pole. The lines of force belonging to B will tend towards B, and we shall find that the lines of force are rendered stronger towards E than towards F, so that the effect in this case is to urge B towards the south.

It appears therefore that, on the hypothesis of molecular vortices, our first term gives a mechanical explanation of the force acting on a north or south pole in the magnetic field.

We now proceed to examine the second term,

$\frac{1}{8\pi}\mu\frac{d}{dx}\left(\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}+\gamma^{2}\right).$

Here $$\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}+\gamma^{2}$$ is the square of the intensity at any part of the field, and $$\mu$$ is the magnetic inductive capacity at the same place. Any body therefore placed in the field will be urged towards places of stronger magnetic intensity with, a force depending partly on its own capacity for magnetic induction, and partly on the rate at which the square of the intensity increases.

If the body be placed in a fluid medium, then the medium, as well as the body, will be urged towards places of greater intensity, so that its hydrostatic pressure will be increased in that direction. The resultant effect on a body placed in the medium will be the difference of the actions on the body and on the portion of the medium which it displaces, so that the body will tend to or from places of greatest magnetic intensity, according as it has a greater or less capacity for magnetic induction than the surrounding medium.

In fig. 4 the lines of force are represented as converging and becoming more powerful towards the right, so that the magnetic tension at B is stronger than at A, and the body AB will be urged to the right. If the capacity for magnetic induction is greater in the body than in the surrounding medium, it will move to the right, but if less it will move to the left.



We may suppose in this case that the lines of force are converging to a magnetic pole, either north or south, on the right hand.

In fig. 5 the lines of force are represented as vertical, and becoming