What’s in a Name? The Magnetic Weber

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) sent this bulletin at 10/23/2024 10:45 AM EDT
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Taking Measure Blog

What’s in a Name? The Magnetic Weber

Drawing of Wilhelm Weber, an electricity transmission tower, and a magnet: What's in a Name? The Stories Behind the Names of Units of Measurement.

Dr. Wilhelm Weber gets the distinction of having the unit of magnetic flux, the weber, named in his honor. Magnetic flux measures the total magnetic field that passes through a surface.

The amount of magnetic flux depends on two things: the strength of the magnetic field and the size of the surface area those fields pass through.

Measurement units are how we quantify stuff. If I say, “Hey, wow, it’s soooo hot today. It feels like 40 degrees Celsius.” The measurement unit is Celsius, and the quantity is 40.

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