line Unit Converter

Definition of line unit

The line is an obsolete CGS unit of magnetic flux, equal to 10−8 weber (Wb), or one maxwell. It quantifies the total magnetic field passing through a specified surface and is now encountered mainly in historical or specialized technical literature.

History of line unit

The line emerged from the centimetre-gram-second (CGS) electromagnetic system developed in the late nineteenth century. Scientists needed practical names for very small quantities of magnetic flux encountered in laboratory instruments. The term reflected the imagined lines of magnetic induction crossing a surface, an idea associated with Faraday’s field concept. In the CGS system, one line was defined as one maxwell, or 10−8 weber. As the SI system standardized the weber during the twentieth century, line gradually disappeared from formal measurement, surviving in older texts, instrument specifications, and discussions of magnetic recording.

Applications of line unit

Today, the line has no recognized SI role and is rarely used in contemporary engineering. It may appear in historical descriptions of magnetic tape recording, early electrical instruments, geophysical surveys, and older laboratory manuals. Modern equivalents are normally expressed in webers, millwebers, or microwebers; for reference, one line equals one maxwell and 10−8 weber.

Complete list of line unit conversion