Physics material: magnetism (part 2)

Student name:

‫ األردن‬11191 ‫ عمان‬9071 ‫ب‬.‫ ص‬/ 5659817 :‫ فاكـس‬/5659816 / 5659815/ 5666449 ‫تلفون‬

Tel: 5666449/5659815/5659816/ Fax:5659817 / P.O Box 9071 Amman – 11191 Jordan
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4.5.3 Magnetic effect of a current

1 Describe the pattern and direction of the magnetic field due to currents in straight wires and in solenoids

2 Describe an experiment to identify the pattern of the magnetic field (including direction) due to currents in
straight wires and in solenoids

3 Describe how the magnetic effect of a current is used in relays and loudspeakers and give examples of their
application

4 State the qualitative variation of the strength of the magnetic field around straight wires and solenoids

5 Describe the effect on the magnetic field around straight wires and solenoids of changing the magnitude and
direction of the current

Electromagnetic effects continued

4.5.4 Force on a current-carrying conductor
1 Describe an experiment to show that a force acts on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field, including
the effect of reversing:
(a) the current
(b) the direction of the field

2 Recall and use the relative directions of force, magnetic field and current

3 Determine the direction of the force on beams of charged particles in a magnetic field

 The magnetic effect of a current

• Describe the pattern of the magnetic field (including direction) due to currents in straight wires and in solenoids
• Describe an experiment to identify the pattern of the magnetic field (including direction) due to currents in
straight wires and in solenoids
• Describe how the magnetic effect of a current is used in relays and loudspeakers and give examples of their
application
• State the qualitative variation of the strength of the magnetic field around straight wires and solenoids
• Describe the effect on the magnetic field around straight wires and solenoids of changing the magnitude and
direction of the current
 Force on a current-carrying conductor

• Describe an experiment to show that a force acts on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field, including
the effect of reversing: – the current – the direction of the field
• Recall and use the relative directions of force, magnetic field and current
• Determine the direction of the force on beams of charged particles in a magnetic field

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Magnetic effect of a current

• Whenever a current passes through a wire, a weak magnetic field is produced around it.

 Properties of the magnetic field produced by a current in flowing a straight wire

• Magnetic field lines are circles
• The field is stronger close to the wire (circles are closer together), as the distance from the wire
increases, the magnetic field becomes weaker (circles are further apart)
• If the current increases, the magnetic field becomes stronger
• Direction of the magnetic field can be determined using Right-hand rule grip

Right-Hand rule grip

Imagine gripping the wire with your hand (hold
your pen instead of the wire with the tip of the
pen in same direction as the current):

• Your thumb points in the direction of the

conventional current
• Your fingers points in the same direction as
the magnetic field lines

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• Determining the direction of the magnetic field produced by a current in a straight

wire using a compass:
• By holding the wire by your hand with your thumb is up. The thumb indicates the
direction of the current while your curl fingers indicates the direction of the
magnetic filed (north pole of the compass follows the curl of your hand)

Current is out of the page Current is up Current is down

When there is no current Direction of the north pole of the
Compass needle is pointing CCW.
What would be the direction of the
magnetic field if the current is revered
(into the page)?

 A coil of wire (solenoid): A solenoid is simply a piece of wire that has been wrapping into a coil.

• Each coil has a magnetic field around it. All these fields from each coil face in the same direction,
creating stronger the magnetic field is than that around a straight wire.

 Inside the solenoid magnetic field is uniform (magnetic field lines are straight and are drawn
equidistance)
 Outside the solenoid the magnetic field is similar to that for a bar magnet

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 The magnetic field produced by the current in a coil of wire is:

• Similar to the magnetic field produced by a bar magnet (magnetic poles at the ends of the coil)
• Stronger if the current increases
• Stronger if the number of coils/turns increases
• Reversed if the direction of the conventional current reversed.

 Direction of the North-pole can be determined using the Right-Hand rule grip:

• The thumb now indicates the direction of the north pole while your fingers curling in the direction
of the conventional current

 Experiment 1: Plotting the magnetic field around a wire

• Attach the thick wire through a hole in the middle of the cardboard and secure it to the clamp stand
• Secure the wire vertically so it sits perpendicularly to the cardboard
• Attach the ends of the wire to a series circuit containing the variable resistor and ammeter on either side of the
cell
 Using plotting compasses:
• Place plotting compasses on the card and draw
dots at each end of the needle once it settles
• Draw an arrow to show the direction of the field at
different points
• Move the compass so that it points away from the
new dot, and repeat the process above
• Keep repeating the previous process until there is a
chain of dots on the card
• Then remove the compass, and link the dots using
a smooth curve – this will be the magnetic field line
• Repeat the whole process several times to create
several other magnetic field lines

 Using iron filings:

• If using iron filings, simply pour the filings onto the cards and gently shake the card until the filings settle in the
pattern of the magnetic field around the wire. The direction of the magnetic field can be determined using the
right-hand rule grip

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 Experiment 2: Plotting the magnetic field around a

solenoid
• Attach a thick wire through a hole on one side of the
cardboard and loop it through a hole on the other side of
the cardboard and secure it to the clamp stand
• Secure the wire so it forms a circular loop around the
cardboard
• Attach the ends of the wire to a series circuit containing
the variable resistor and ammeter on either side of the cell

 Using plotting compasses:

Follow the procedure outlined in Experiment 1.

Note: this can be carried out using a solenoid, but since a
solenoid is essentially many circular loops, the pattern around
a circular loop can be extended to give the pattern around a
solenoid

 Using iron filings and a solenoid:

Take a solenoid and thread it through pre-made holes in a piece of card

Pour the filings onto the card and gently shake the card until the filings settle in the pattern of the magnetic field
around the solenoid
The direction of the magnetic field can be determined using the right-hand rule grip

 Electromagnets: Electromagnets are made up of a coil of wire wrapped around an iron core

• If wire is wound around a core (a soft magnet, such as an iron, or mumetal) then an electromagnet is
made when a current flows in the wire (The iron core itself becomes magnetized and this increases
the magnetic field strength)

• Electromagnets are used in devices such as electric bells, and

door locks that can be controlled remotely.

• By using a soft magnet, the magnetism is temporary and is

lost as soon as the current is switched off. Steel would not be
suitable because it would become permanently magnetized.

• The magnetic field around an electromagnet has the same shape as the one around a bar magnet

• The field can be reversed by reversing the direction of the current

• The strength of an electromagnet’s magnetic field may be increased by:

• Increasing the current in the coil

• Adding more turns to the coil

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• Electric bells: relay circuits: use a small

current to switch on a large current

• When the bell button is pressed, the switch

is closed and the circuit is complete, so
there is a current in the circuit.

• The soft iron core becomes magnetized and

attracts the piece of iron (armature) that is
attached to the hammer towards it.

• When the armature is pulled down, the

hammer strikes the bell.

• At the same time a gap is created at the

contact screw.

• The circuit is now incomplete and the

current stops.

• The iron core demagnetizes and the springy

metal strip pulls the armature up to its
original position

 Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor

• A current-carrying conductor produces its own magnetic field.
• When a current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field, the fields (from the current and the magnet)
interact with each other and this creates a force on the conductor (This is called motor effect)
• A current-carrying conductor will only experience a force if the current through it is perpendicular to the
direction of the magnetic field lines
 Two ways to reverse the direction of the force are by reversing:
• The direction of the current
• The direction of the magnetic field If the particle is travelling perpendicular to the field
lines: It will experience the maximum force
 The force is increased if:
• The current increased If the particle is travelling parallel to the field lines:
• A stronger magnet is used It will experience no force
• The length of the wire in the field is increased
If the particle is travelling at an angle to the field lines:
It will experience a small force
 direction of the force (Fleming's left-hand rule)
• The direction of the force on a current carrying wire depends on the direction of the current and the direction of
the magnetic field. All three will be perpendicular to each other

• The direction of the force (or thrust) can be worked out by using Fleming's left-hand rule:

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As field lines tend to straighten

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Charged Particles in a Magnetic Field

• When a charged particle passes through a magnetic field, the field can exert a force on the particle, causing it to
deflect
• The force is always at 90 degrees to both the direction of travel and the magnetic field lines
• The direction can be worked out by using Fleming's left-hand rule:

• The thumb indicates the direction of force on a positive charge

• Direction of magnetic force on a negative charge is opposite to that on negative charge

Loud speakers:
• A direct current (DC) passes through a wire produces a magnetic field that is constant in magnitude
and direction
• An alternating current (AC), always changing in size and direction, produces a changing magnetic field
that is constantly changes size and direction

alternating current (AC), from the source, such as radio,

passes through the coil of a speaker, this current is
always changing in size and direction.

The fields of the coil and the permanent magnet interact

and produce a magnetic field which always changing in
strength and direction.

This creates a rapidly changing force on the coil which

causes the speaker cone to vibrate at the same
vibrations/oscillations as the sound wave.

These vibrations create the sound wave we hear

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Practicing past papers

1) A wire is placed between the poles of a horseshoe magnet. There is a current in the wire in the direction shown,
and this causes a force to act on the wire.

Which arrangement or arrangements will cause a force in the same direction as the original arrangement?
A) P, Q and R B) P and Q only C) P only D) R only

2) A metal rod PQ rests on two horizontal metal wires that are attached to a battery. The rod lies
between the poles of a magnet.

When the switch is closed, the rod moves to the right.

What could be changed so that the rod moves to the left?

A) Open the switch.

B) Reverse the battery terminals and exchange the poles of the magnet.
C) Reverse the battery terminals but without exchanging the poles of the magnet.
D) Turn the metal rod around (P and Q exchanged).

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3) A current-carrying wire XY lies in the magnetic field between the two poles of a U-shaped electromagnet. A
force acts on the wire XY because of the magnetic field.
Each of the following actions is carried out separately.

● The current in the wire XY is reversed.

● The magnetic field is reversed.
● Both the current in the wire XY and the magnetic field
are reversed at the same time.

How many of these actions cause the direction of the

force on the wire XY to be reversed?
A) 0 B) 1 C) 2 D) 3

4) What is the purpose of a relay?

A) to change a large voltage into a small voltage

B) to change a small voltage into a large voltage
C) to use a large current to switch on a small current
D) to use a small current to switch on a large current

5) An electric current is passed through a coil of wire. Which diagram shows the shape of the magnetic field
produced in the middle of the coil?

6) Which diagram shows the magnetic field pattern around a wire that is carrying a current perpendicular to the
page?

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7) Which diagram represents the direction of the magnetic field around a straight wire carrying a
current out of the page?

8) The diagram shows a shaded area where the direction of a magnetic field is into the page. A beam of
β-particles enters the field as shown.

In which direction is the beam of β-particles

deflected as they enter the magnetic field?

a) into the page

b) out of the page
c) down the page
d) up the page

9) The diagram shows a wire placed between two

magnetic poles of equal strength. A current
passes through the wire in the direction shown.
The current causes a downward force on the wire.

What is the arrangement of the magnetic poles?

A C

B D

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10) A wire perpendicular to the page carries an electric current in a direction out of the page. There are four
compasses near the wire. Which compass shows the direction of the magnetic field caused by the current?

11) Four small compasses are placed around a solenoid.

A current is now switched on in the solenoid. Which diagram shows

possible new directions of the compass needles?

DCCDABDCACD

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