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Oersted
Unit of the auxiliary magnetic field H in the CGS system of units
Unit of the auxiliary magnetic field H in the CGS system of units
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | oersted |
| standard | Gaussian units |
| quantity | magnetic field strength |
| symbol | Oe |
| namedafter | Hans Christian Ørsted |
| extralabel | Derivation |
| extradata | 1 dyn/Mx |
| units1 | Gaussian base units |
| inunits1 | 1 cm−1/2⋅g1/2⋅s−1 |
| units2 | SI units |
| inunits2 | (4π)−1 A/m ≈ 1e0 Oe |
The oersted (, symbol Oe) is the coherent derived unit of the auxiliary magnetic field H in the CGS-EMU and Gaussian systems of units. It is equivalent to 1 dyne per maxwell.
Difference between Gaussian and SI systems
In the Gaussian system, the unit of the H-field is the oersted and the unit of the B-field is the gauss. In the SI, the unit ampere per metre (A/m), which is equivalent to newton per weber, is used for the H-field and the unit tesla is used for the B-field.
History
The unit was established by the IEC in the 1930s in honour of Danish physicist Hans Christian Ørsted. Ørsted discovered the connection between magnetism and electric current when a magnetic field produced by a current-carrying copper bar deflected a magnetised needle during a lecture demonstration.
Definition

The oersted is defined as a dyne per unit pole. The oersted corresponds to (≈1.000000 Oe) amperes per metre, in terms of SI units.
The H-field strength inside a long solenoid wound with 79.58 turns per metre of a wire carrying 1 A is approximately 1 oersted. The preceding statement is exactly correct if the solenoid considered is infinite in length with the current evenly distributed over its surface.
The oersted is closely related to the gauss (G), the CGS unit of magnetic flux density. In vacuum, if the magnetizing field strength is 1 Oe, then the magnetic field density is 1 G, whereas in a medium having permeability *μ*r (relative to permeability of vacuum), their relation is : B(\text{G}) = \mu_\text{r} H(\text{Oe}).
Because oersteds are used to measure magnetizing field strength, they are also related to the magnetomotive force (mmf) of current in a single-winding wire-loop: : 1\text{ Oe} = \frac{1000}{4 \pi}~\text{A}/\text{m}.
Stored energy
Main article: maximum energy product
The stored energy in a magnet, called magnet performance or maximum energy product (often abbreviated BHmax), is typically measured in units of megagauss-oersteds (MG⋅Oe).
References
References
- [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/oersted "Oersted"]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.
- "as late as 1936 a subcommittee of the IEC [[International Electrotechnical Commission]] proposed the names 'maxwell', 'gauss' and 'oersted' for the cgs electromagnetic units of flux, induction and magnetic field strength, respectively". — John James Roche, ''The Mathematics of Measurement: A Critical History'', The Athlone Press, London, 1998, {{ISBN. 0-485-11473-9, page 184 and John James Roche, [http://materias.df.uba.ar/ft1a2016c2/files/2016/09/B-vs-H.pdf "''B'' and ''H'', the intensity vectors of magnetism: A new approach to resolving a century-old controversy"], ''American Journal of Physics'', vol. 68, no. 5, 2000, doi: 10.1119/1.19459, p. 438; in both cases giving the reference as Claudio Egidi, editor, ''Giovanni Giorgi and his Contribution to Electrical Metrology: Proceedings of the meeting held in Turin (Italy) on 21 and 22, September 1988'', Politecnico di Torino, Turin (IT), 1990, {{ISBN. 978-8885259003, pp. 53–56
- Kaye, G. W. C, & Laby, T. H.: ''Table of Physical and Chemical Constants'', page 14. Longman, 1973.
- "IEC history".
- "Hans Christian Oersted".
- Hirst, A. W. ''Electricity and Magnetism For Engineering Students''. Blackie & Son Limited, 1959, p. 411.
- "Magnetic Conversion Factors".
- "EMF Fundamentals".
- "Oersted".
- "Derived CGS Units with Special Names". Gordon England.
- (2006). "SI Brochure: The International System of Units (SI) [8th edition, 2006; updated in 2014]". [[BIPM]].
- (15 September 2014). "What is Maximum Energy Product / BHmax and How Does It Correspond to Magnet Grade?".
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