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Magnetic Fields Around Wires

Electromagnetism

Magnetic Fields Around Wires

To describe the magnetic field around a current-carrying wire and predict how changing the current affects it.

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What you will learn

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Why current in a wire produces a magnetic field

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What the field looks like around a straight wire

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How current direction changes field direction

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How current strength affects the field

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How to use the right-hand grip rule

Explanation

An electric current produces a magnetic field around a conducting wire. For a straight wire, the field lines are concentric circles; the right-hand grip rule gives their direction using conventional current. Increasing current strengthens the field, while the field becomes weaker farther from the wire; reversing current reverses field direction. Example: Determine field direction for current away from the observer. The field is clockwise as viewed by that observer. Use evidence. Apply the model.

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