Teaching magnetism is one of the most challenging topics at undergraduate level in programmes with scientific background. A basic course includes the description of the magnetic interaction along with empirical results such as the Biot-Savart law's. However, evaluating the magnetic field due to certain current carrying system at any point in space is not an easy task, especially for points in space where symmetry arguments cannot be applied. In this paper we study the magnetic field produced by both Helmholtz and Maxwell coils at all points in space by using a hybrid methodology that combines the superposition principle and an analytical result. We implement a computational approach, that is based on iterating n times the magnetic field produced by a finite current-carrying wire, to evaluate the magnetic field at any point in space for coils arrangements without using advanced calculus. This methodology helps teachers and students to explore the field due to systems with different levels of complexity, combining analytical and computational skills to visualize and analyse the magnetic field. After our analysis, we show that this is an useful approach to emphasize fundamental concepts and mitigate some of the issues that arise when evaluating the magnetic field for systems proposed in introductory physics textbooks.

This article attempts to clarify the role of the magnetic force and the ‘‘rotational’’ component of the electric field in calculating the induced electromotive force in a circuit having a moving part. For this purpose, an example where both terms occur is analyzed.

Este documento describe las variables que subyacen al estrés académico (EA) en estudiantes que cursan asignaturas de matemáticas en una facultad de ciencias económico-administrativas y contables (FACEAC) en una universidad privada de Bogotá, Colombia. El inventario de estrés académico (IEA) utilizado fue el de Polo, Hernández y Pozo, de 1996, con el fin de medir dos dimensiones: respuestas al estrés y actividades que producen estrés. En la aplicación del iea se verificó el coeficiente de alfa de Cronbach y se utilizó el método de análisis de componentes principales (ACP) para determinar las variables subyacentes al EA. En la investigación participaron 463 estudiantes, que corresponde al 78,1% de la población estudiantil activa de esa facultad. Los resultados, después de verificar todos los supuestos estadísticos, indicaron que la confiabilidad del instrumento es de 0,927; el análisis exploratorio forzado de los datos con ACP (KMO de 0,913, sig. 0,000, gl 300), con el método de rotación varimax con Kaiser, arrojó tres variables que interpretan el 49,688% de la varianza. Las variables son respuestas al EA, interacción estudiantes-saber matemático y evaluación. Finalmente, cabe señalar que el ea de los estudiantes que cursan matemáticas en una FACEAC debe tratarse desde la actividad docente, junto con programas del área direccionadas desde bienestar universitario tendientes al manejo adecuado del EA.

The traditional lecture-based scheme of teaching physics has shown to be ineffective in several aspects. It results in a lack of motivation, with low impact on students, to address more complex physical systems than the ones presented in textbooks. The electromagnetics course is a clear example at junior and senior university-level education, in particular when the magnetic field concept is introduced.