| Axial field of a finite solenoid |
| This formula uses the formula for the field due to a thin shell solenoid, integrated over a range off radii to obtain the magnetic field at any point on the axis of a finite solenoid. | ||||
Solenoid in cross section view. |
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| General Case: | ||||
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| B is the magnetic field, in teslas,
at any point on the axis of the solenoid. The direction
of the field is parallel to the solenoid axis.
i is the current in the wire, in amperes. n is the number of turns of wire per unit length in the solenoid. r1 is the inside radius of the solenoid. r2 is the outside radius of the solenoid. x1 and x2 are the distances, on axis, from the ends of the solenoid to the magnetic field measurement point. Note that the units of length may be meters, centimeters or inches (or furlongs, for that matter), as long as the correct value of the permeability constant is used. |
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| ...or,
for something really useful:
where G is the unitless geometry factor:
where |
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| P is the total power consumed by the
coil, in watts.
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| Special Case: x1=(-x2) | The magnetic field measurement point is at the center of the solenoid. | |||
 ...or
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| j is the current density in the coil
cross section, in amps/(unit area). l is the length of the coil. N is the total number of turns of wire in the coil. |
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| and
the unitless geometry factor G is simply:
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Note that G is maximum when  and  . A coil built
with a given inner diameter and input power will deliver
the highest central field strength when these conditions
are met. |
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is the permeability constant (1.26x10-6
Tm/A, 1.26x10-4 Tcm/A or 4.95x10-5
Tin/A, for coils measured in meters, centimeters and
inches, respectively)
, 
and 
is
equal to (total conductor cross section area)/(total coil
cross section area), which ranges from 0.6 to 0.8 in
typical coils.
is the conductor resistivity, in
units of ohms-length. The length units must match those
of r1.
