To determine what a Tesla is equivalent to, let's break down the options you've provided. A Tesla (T) is the unit of magnetic flux density in the International System of Units (SI). It is defined in terms of other fundamental units, which will help us identify the correct answer among the choices.
Understanding the Tesla
A Tesla is defined as one weber per square meter. In terms of base SI units, this can be expressed as:
- 1 T = 1 Wb/m²
- 1 Wb (weber) = 1 V·s (volt-second)
- 1 V (volt) = 1 J/C (joule per coulomb)
- 1 J (joule) = 1 N·m (newton-meter)
Breaking Down the Units
Now, let's substitute these definitions into the equation for Tesla:
- 1 T = (1 V·s) / (m²)
- Substituting for volts: 1 T = (1 J/C·s) / (m²)
- Substituting for joules: 1 T = (1 N·m/C·s) / (m²)
- Which simplifies to: 1 T = 1 N / (A·m)
Here, we used the fact that current (I) in amperes (A) relates to charge (C) and time (s). This means that a Tesla can also be expressed as:
Evaluating the Options
Now, let's look at the options you provided:
- (A) Newton per coulomb
- (B) Newton per ampere-meter
- (C) Ampere per newton
- (D) Newton per ampere-second
From our breakdown, we see that the correct equivalence is:
(B) Newton per ampere-meter
Conclusion
Thus, a Tesla is equivalent to Newtons per ampere-meter. This relationship is crucial in understanding how magnetic fields interact with electric currents and forces, which is foundational in electromagnetism. If you have any more questions about this topic or related concepts, feel free to ask!