Magnetometer
Magnetic fields are vector quantities characterized by both strength and direction. The strength of a magnetic field is measured in units of tesla in the SI units, and in gauss in the cgs system of units. 10,000 gauss are equal to one tesla. Measurements of the Earth's magnetic field are often quoted in units of nanotesla (nT), also called a gamma. The Earth's magnetic field can vary from 20,000 to 80,000 nT depending on location, fluctuations in the Earth's magnetic field are on the order of 100 nT, and magnetic field variations due to magnetic anomalies can be in the picotesla (pT) range. "Gaussmeters" and "teslameters" are magnetometers that measure in units of gauss or tesla, respectively. In some contexts, magnetometer is the term used for an instrument that measures fields of less than 1 millitesla (mT) and gaussmeter is used for those measuring greater than 1 mT.
Magnetorotational instability
where we have used the same vector calculus identity. This equation is fully general, and makes no assumptions about the strength or direction of the magnetic field.
The first term on the right is analogous to a pressure gradient. In our problem it may be neglected because it exerts no force in the plane of the disk, perpendicular to formula_78 The second term acts like a magnetic tension force, analogous to a taut string. For a small disturbance formula_79 it exerts an acceleration given by force divided by mass, or equivalently, force per unit volume divided by mass per unit volume: