How hard is MCAT Physics E&M?

[axp107]

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I mean.. the books I've been reading (EK and Kaplan) don't delve into that much detail.

For example,

what is the relationship between the electric field and magnetic field? I really have no idea... ahh this conceptual stuff is really annoying

I remember getting a passage on something like that ... a particle travelling through an ELECTRIC and then a magnetic field. How do I study for stuff like this?

 

[kstreet]

It is a complex topic. Hard to give a brief overview, but I suggest you use wikipedia to first get the basic idea of how they all interrelate.

An electric current creates a magnetic field. With your right hand, make a thumbs up. 👍

Current traveling in the direction of your thumb will produce a magnetic field that curls in the direction of all your fingers. Please remember that current in this case is in the opposite direction of electron movement. (Not very intuitive, I know! Place the blame on B. Franklin.)

For a particle moving through a magnetic field, I like using Fleming's rule. Just remember "FBI".

With your left hand, turn your finger into a gun with your thumb straight up and your index finger pointing out. Then stick out your middle finger perpendicular to your palm.

Now, F is your thumb, B is your index finger, I is the current.
F is force
B is the direction of the magnetic field
I is the direction of the current (Again, current goes in the opposite direction of the movement of electrons)

If you know the direction of any two of those, you can find the direction of the other.

There's more to it, equations and what not, but I find wikipedia to be a good source of info.

 

[xucardsfan08]

The May 25th MCAT had a bunch of E&M on it. It's a tough topic that many people do not want to study and it always end up biting them in the rear.
This is the kind if topic I would recommend going back to your physics textbook to review the concepts/equations.

 

[axp107]

I understand that a mag field is induced by a current

I understand magnetism pretty well.. induced currents.. Lenz's laws

But electric fields are what I don't understand...

What I understood so far is:

A particle moves perpendicular to a magnetic field will be deflected by the magnetic force, not field.

However, a particle entering an electric field will be deflected in the direction of the electric field

 

[zizebrazi]

For the physics E&M, go to textbooks, because there are more information than the EK and Nova Physics books. Understanding concepts is the key! Try to find how they interrelate. You can do it! First memorize the formulas, then try to put all the key formulas on a page and see how they work together. Condense it. Find the patterns.