Editing Magnetostatics (section)

{{Short description|Branch of physics about magnetism in systems with steady electric currents}}
{{Use American English|date = February 2019}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=September 2016}}
{{Electromagnetism|cTopic=Magnetostatics}}
'''Magnetostatics''' is the study of [[magnetic field]]s in systems where the [[electric currents|currents]] are [[steady current|steady]] (not changing with time). It is the magnetic analogue of [[electrostatics]], where the [[electric charge|charges]] are stationary. The magnetization need not be static; the equations of magnetostatics can be used to predict fast [[Magnetization reversal|magnetic switching]] events that occur on time scales of nanoseconds or less.<ref name="Hiebert">{{cite journal |last1=Hiebert |first1=W |last2=Ballentine |first2=G |last3=Freeman |first3=M |title=Comparison of experimental and numerical micromagnetic dynamics in coherent precessional switching and modal oscillations |journal = [[Physical Review B]] |volume=65 |number=14 |pages=140404 |year=2002 |doi=10.1103/PhysRevB.65.140404 |bibcode=2002PhRvB..65n0404H }}</ref> Magnetostatics is even a good approximation when the currents are not static &ndash; as long as the currents do not [[alternating current|alternate]] rapidly. Magnetostatics is widely used in applications of [[micromagnetics]] such as models of [[magnetic storage]] devices as in [[computer memory]].