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High School Physics

Magnetic fields due to different currents

Last updated on December 11th, 2023 at 01:07 pm

An electric current can cause a magnetic field. The magnetic field patterns due to different currents can be seen in the diagrams below.


figure 1: Magnetic field due to current in a straight wire & use of right-hand grip rule to find out the direction of the field lines.
figure 1: Magnetic field lines due to current in a straight wire & use of right-hand grip rule to find out the direction of the field lines.

The direction of the field lines can be remembered with the right-hand grip rule. If the thumb of the right hand is arranged to point along the direction of a current, the way the fingers of the right hand naturally curl will give the direction of the field lines.

Figure 1 shows the Magnetic field lines due to the current in a straight wire & the use of the right-hand grip rule to find out the direction of the field lines.

Figure 2 below shows the Field pattern caused by a current flow in the direction shown through a flat circular coil.

figure 2:  Field pattern of a flat circular coil
figure 2: Field pattern of a flat circular coil

Figure 3 below shows the Magnetic Field pattern of a solenoid. It is the same as that of a bar magnet. The poles of the solenoid can be predicted using the right-hand grip rule.

figure 3: The field pattern of solenoid
See also  Calculate the magnetic field at the center of a square loop of side 10 cm carrying a current of 5A.
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