Difference Between Conduction and

Induction
The major difference between conduction and induction is that conduction allows the
charging of a neutral body with a charged body by forming a direct contact with it. While
induction is the process of charging a neutral body by a charged body without making
any direct contact.

Both conduction and induction refers to the two different ways that causes charging of
neutral bodies. Here we will see what major differentiating factors exist between the
two.

Content: Conduction Vs Induction

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Basis for
Conduction Induction
Comparison
It results in flow of current due to
It results in flow of current due to
Basic
electric field. change in magnetic field.
It requires direct contact betweenNo direct contact is required
Arrangement of
charged and uncharged between charged and uncharged
conductors
conductors. bodies.
The induced current is opposite
Direction of The current in both the conductors
in direction as that of actual
current flows in same direction.
current.
Due to inducing nature of
Due to transferring nature of
Gradient path charges, gradient path is not
charges, gradient path is required.
required.
Decreases, due to distribution of
Amount of charge Remains constant
charges.

Definition of Conduction

Conduction is a phenomenon of transferring of energy from a charged body to an

uncharged body by direct contact.
We know that a current through a conductor flows when a difference in potential exists
between its two ends. As due to the difference in potential, the electric field exists
across the conductor.

This electric field applies electrostatic force on the charges, due to which charges move
and the movement of charges generates electric current.

Now the question arises how charges from one body can be transferred to another
body?

For this, consider that we have a negatively charged cylindrical rod which is placed in
contact with a neutral sphere (having an equal number of electrons and protons).

So, due to direct contact, the current flowing through one conductor (i.e., rod), begins
to flow through the neutral body placed in contact as well.

This is so because due to direct contact, the field in both the bodies in contact changes
simultaneously.
Thus charges now starts to drift from one body to another.
This leads flow of current due to conduction in both the bodies.

Definition of Induction

A phenomenon that causes an uncharged body to get electrically charged by placing it

near a charged conductor is known as induction.

For induction to take place, the two bodies must be placed nearer to each other.

As we have already discussed that current in any conductor flows due to the movement
of charge carriers.

Suppose we have a negatively charged body, so the movement of the charges inside
the body generates electric current. We know that when current flows through a
conductor then the magnetic field is produced across it.

And according to Faraday when an uncharged body is placed in a region where the
magnetic field is present then the electric field gets generated inside it.
More simply we can say charges of opposite polarity present in the charged body get
induced to the uncharged body.

Thus the generated electric field in the second body causes flow of current through it in
the opposite direction.

It is noteworthy here that the magnetic field shows variation according to the change in
the electric field of initially charged conductor and so the induced electric field in the
other body.

Thus in this way, we can say that current flowing to one conductor gets induced in the
other conductor placed near to it.

Key Differences Between Conduction and Induction

1. Conduction is the process of transferring charges from a charged body to a
neutral body. While Induction is the process of inducing the charges on a neutral
body by the use of a charged body.
2. Conduction needs direct physical contact between the two bodies. However, no
physical contact is needed in case of induction, but the two bodies must be
placed close to each other.
3. In the case of conduction, the current flowing through both bodies have the same
direction. Whereas in case of induction, equal current flows through both the
bodies but in different directions.
 4. A potential difference must exist between two bodies for conduction to take place
thus requires a gradient path. As no direct contact is maintained at the time of
induction thus the gradient path is not needed.
5. As the charge gets transferred in case of conduction thus there is a reduction in
the amount of overall charge present in the charged body. While in case of
induction the charge on the initially charged body remains the same even after
inducing, charges of opposite polarity in the other body.

Conclusion

So, this discussion simply concludes that conduction allows the charge flow due to
electric field produced inside it. But induction permits flow of charge carriers due to
change in magnetic field.

Electric field
Electric field, an electric property associated with each point in space when charge is
present in any form. The magnitude and direction of the electric field are expressed by
the value of E, called electric field strength or electric field intensity or simply the electric
field. Knowledge of the value of the electric field at a point, without any specific
knowledge of what produced the field, is all that is needed to determine what will
happen to electric charges close to that particular point.

Read More on This Topic

electromagnetism: Electric fields and forces
The value of the electric field at a point in space, for example, equals the force that
would be exerted on a unit charge at that position…

Instead of considering the electric force as a direct interaction of two electric charges at
a distance from each other, one charge is considered the source of an electric field that
extends outward into the surrounding space, and the force exerted on a second charge
in this space is considered as a direct interaction between the electric field and the
second charge. The strength of an electric field E at any point may be defined as the
electric, or Coulomb, force F exerted per unit positive electric charge q at that point, or
simply E = F/q. If the second, or test, charge is twice as great, the resultant force is
doubled; but their quotient, the measure of the electric field E, remains the same at any
given point. The strength of the electric field depends on the source charge, not on the
test charge. Strictly speaking, the introduction of a small test charge, which itself has an
electric field, slightly modifies the existing field. The electric field may be thought of as
the force per unit positive charge that would be exerted before the field is disturbed by
the presence of the test charge.

The direction of the force that is exerted on a negative charge is opposite that which is
exerted on a positive charge. Because an electric field has both magnitude and
direction, the direction of the force on a positive charge is chosen arbitrarily as the
direction of the electric field. Because positive charges repel each other, the electric
field around an isolated positive charge is oriented radially outward. When they are
represented by lines of force, or field lines, electric fields are depicted as starting on
positive charges and terminating on negative charges. A line tangent to a field line
indicates the direction of the electric field at that point. Where the field lines are close
together, the electric field is stronger than where they are farther apart. The magnitude
of the electric field around an electric charge, considered as source of the electric field,
depends on how the charge is distributed in space. For a charge concentrated nearly at
a point, the electric field is directly proportional to the amount of charge; it is inversely
proportional to the square of the distance radially away from the centre of the source
charge and depends also upon the nature of the medium. The presence of a material
medium always diminishes the electric field below the value it has in a vacuum.

Electric field lines near equal but opposite chargesEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

At times the electric field itself may become detached from the source charge and form
closed loops, as in the case of charges accelerating up and down the transmitting
antenna of a television station. The electric field with an accompanying magnetic field is
propagated through space as a radiated wave at the same speed as that of light. Such
electromagnetic waves indicate that electric fields are generated not only from electric
charges but also from changing magnetic fields.
Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription.
Subscribe today

The value of the electric field has dimensions of force per unit charge. In the metre-
kilogram-second and SI systems, the appropriate units are newtons per coulomb,
equivalent to volts per metre. In the centimetre-gram-second system, the electric field is
expressed in units of dynes per electrostatic unit (esu), equivalent to statvolts per
centimetre.

Magnetic Field
Magnetic fields are produced by electric currents, which can be macroscopic currents in
wires, or microscopic currents associated with electrons in atomic orbits. The magnetic
field B is defined in terms of force on moving charge in the Lorentz force law. The
interaction of magnetic field with charge leads to many practical applications. Magnetic
field sources are essentially dipolar in nature, having a north and south magnetic pole.
The SI unit for magnetic field is the Tesla, which can be seen from the magnetic part of
the Lorentz force law Fmagnetic = qvB to be composed of (Newton x second)/(Coulomb x
meter). A smaller magnetic field unit is the Gauss (1 Tesla = 10,000 Gauss).

Magnetic Field Units

The standard SI unit for magnetic field is the Tesla, which can be seen from the
magnetic part of the Lorentz force law Fmagnetic = qvB to be composed of (Newton x
second)/(Coulomb x meter). A smaller magnetic field unit is the Gauss (1 Tesla =
10,000 Gauss).
The magnetic quantity B which is being called "magnetic field" here is sometimes called
"magnetic flux density". An older unit name for the Tesla is Webers per meter squared,
with the Weber being the unit of magnetic flux.

Lorentz Force Law

Both the electric field and magnetic field can be defined from the Lorentz force law:

The electric force is straigtforward, being in the direction of the electric field if the charge
q is positive, but the direction of the magnetic part of the force is given by the right hand
rule.

Solenoid
A long straight coil of wire can be used to generate a nearly uniform magnetic field
similar to that of a bar magnet. Such coils, called solenoids, have an enormous number
of practical applications. The field can be greatly strengthened by the addition of an iron
core. Such cores are typical in electromagnets.
In the above expression for the magnetic field B, n = N/L is the number of turns per unit
length, sometimes called the "turns density". The magnetic field B is proportional to the
current I in the coil. The expression is an idealization to an infinite length solenoid, but
provides a good approximation to the field of a long solenoid.

Solenoid Field from Ampere's Law

Taking a rectangular path about which to evaluate Ampere's Law such that the length of
the side parallel to the solenoid field is L gives a contribution BL inside the coil. The
field is essentially perpendicular to the sides of the path, giving negligible contribution. If
the end is taken so far from the coil that the field is negligible, then the length inside the
coil is the dominant contribution.
 This admittedly idealized
case for Ampere's Law
gives

This turns out to be a good

approximation for the
solenoid field, particularly in
the case of an iron core
solenoid.

Solenoid Magnetic Field Calculation

At the center of a long solenoid

Magnetic Field of Current

The magnetic field lines around a long wire which carries an electric current form
concentric circles around the wire. The direction of the magnetic field is perpendicular to
the wire and is in the direction the fingers of your right hand would curl if you wrapped
them around the wire with your thumb in the direction of the current.
Magnetic Field of Current
The magnetic field of an infinitely long straight wire can
be obtained by applying Ampere's law. Ampere's law
takes the form

and for a circular path centered on the wire, the

magnetic field is everywhere parallel to the path. The
summation then becomes just

The constant μ0 is the permeability of free space.

Physics equations/Magnetic field

calculations
Contents
The Biot-Savart law

Geometry for the Biot-Savart law.

The Biot–Savart law is used for computing the resultant magnetic field B at position r
generated by a steady current I (for example due to a wire): a continual flow of charges
which is constant in time and the charge neither accumulates nor depletes at any point.
The law is a physical example of a line integral: evaluated over the path C the electric
currents flow. The equation in SI units is:

**Problem: Generalize this line integral to a volume integral involving current density.

- click for solution -

Magnetic field lines for typical geometries

Magnetic field due to a current loop

Magnetic element current loop

*Problem: Show that if circular loop of radius carries a current , then the magnetic field
at the center of the loop points in the direction and as a magnitude of:

(This represents the magnetic field at in the figure to the right; the magnetic field points
in the direction.)
- click for solution -
***Problem: Show that if circular loop of radius carries a current , then the magnetic
field at the at a distance away from the center is in the z direction, has magnitude:
Ampère's circuital law

Closed surfaces to the left; open surfaces with boundaries to right.

Understanding Maxwell's displacement current. A current flowing through a wire

produces a magnetic field, in accordance with Ampère's law. But a capacitor in the
circuit represents a break in the current, so that a surface can avoid penetration by the
current by passing between the plates of the capacitor. Maxwell corrected this flaw by
postulating that a time-varying electric also generates a magnetic field.

The "integral form" of the original Ampère's circuital law is a line integral of the magnetic
field around any closed curve C (This closed curve is arbitrary but it must be closed,
meaning that it has no endpoints). The curve C bounds both a surface S, and any
current which pierces that surface is said to be enclosed by the surface. The line
integral of the magnetic B-field (in tesla, T) around closed curve C is proportional to the
total current Ienc passing through a surface S (enclosed by C):

Maxwell's correction term (displacement current)

This equation might is not generally valid if a time-dependent electric field is
present, as was discovered by James Clerk Maxwell, who added the displacement
current term to Ampere's law around 1861. [2][3] The need for this extra term can be seen
in the figure to the right. The diagram shows a capacitor being charged by current
flowing through a wire, which creates a magnetic field around it. The magnetic field is
found from Ampere's law:

Problem: Show that with Maxwell's correction (with ), Ampere's law becomes:

where,

Magnetic field due to a long straight wire

Magnetic field near a long straight wire.

*Problem: Show that in the vicinity of a long, straight wire carrying current , Ampere's
law yields:

where is a unit vector that points in the azimuthal direction, and is the magnetic
constant.

- click for solution -

Magnetic field inside a long thin solenoid

Magnetic field due to a solenoid

*Problem: Show that in the vicinity of a long, thin solenoid of length
where is the current, is the number of turns, and is the number of turns per unit length.