Current Carrying Wire and RH Grip Rule

12PHYS - Electricity

Finn Le Sueur

2024

Magnetic Force: Wires

Instead of thinking about individual particles, we can think about the aggregate of them as current in a wire.

\[ \begin{aligned} Force &= B-Field \times Current \times Length \newline F &= BIL \end{aligned} \]

Use it for Textbook 19B Q1, 2

Current in Magnetic Field

  • When a current-carrying wire is placed in a magnetic field it will experience a force.
  • We can use the RH slap rule to deermine the direction of the force experienced by the current-carrying wire.
  • Reversing the current direction inverts the force direction.
  • Increasing field strength, current or length of wire in the field, increases the force felt.

Current-Carrying Wire

  • Magnetic fields exist around current carrying wires
  • The magnetic field is circular around the wire
  • The direction of the field depends on a right hand grip rule!
Source

Mahi

  1. Textbook 19B Q1, 2 (starter questions)
  2. Textbook 19B Q3, 4
  3. Homework Booklet C2