MAGNETIC EFFECT OF ELECTRIC CURRENT

MAGNETIC FIELD AND FIELD LINES

1. Magnetic Field: It is defined as a domain around the magnet in which the magnetic effect of the
magnet can be experienced.
2. Magnetic Field Lines: The imaginary curved lines which represent the magnetic field of a
magnet.
3. Diagram of Magnetic Field lines around the Bar Magnet

4. Method of obtaining magnetic field lines around the bar magnet:

i. By using iron fillings
 Place a bar magnet in a Centre of it.
 Sprinkle some iron fillings uniformly around the bar magnet.
 Now tap the board gently.
 We will observe that the iron fillings will take the shape of curved lines which represent
magnetic field lines.
 Iron fillings near the bar magnet align themselves along the field lines.

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 ii. By using compass needle
 Take a bar magnet and a small compass on a white paper and fix it with some adhesive
material.
 Place the compass near the north pole of magnet, the south pole of the magnet points
towards the north pole. The north pole of the compass directed away from the north
pole.
 The position of the two ends of the needle.
 Now move the compass such that the south pole becomes north pole.
 Repeat this till you reach the south pole.
 Join the points marked on the paper with a smooth curve. This curve represents a field
line.

5. Characteristics of magnetic field lines

a. The magnetic field lines originate from the north pole and end into south pole.
b. Inside the magnet, the magnetic field lines move from south to north.
c. That is why the magnetic field lines are closed curves.
d. The magnetic field lines are crowded at the poles since the magnetic strength at the poles is
maximum.
e. No, two magnetic field lines intersect each other, if they did so then at the point of
intersection of two magnetic field lines. If we place a magnetic compass over there it would
point in two direction which is impossible.

MAGNETIC FIELD DUE TO A CURRENT-CARRYING CONDUCTOR

1. Electricity and Magnetism are linked to each other.
 Take a straight thick copper wire and place it between the points X and Y in an electric
circuit, as shown in Fig below.
 Place a small compass near to this copper wire. See the position of its needle.

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  Pass the current through the circuit by inserting the key into the plug.
 We will observe the change in the position of the compass needle. This shows that
electricity produces magnetism.

2. To find the direction of the field produced in the above activity.

 Take a long straight copper wire, two or three cells of 1.5 V each, and a plug key.
Connect all of them in series as shown in Fig. below.
 Place the straight wire parallel to and over a compass needle.
 Plug the key in the circuit.
 Observe the direction of deflection of the north pole of the needle. If the current flows
from north to south, as shown in Fig. (a) , the north pole of the compass needle would
move towards the east.
 Replace the cell connections in the circuit as shown in Fig. This would result in the
change of the direction of current through the copper wire, that is, from south to north.
 Observe the change in the direction of deflection of the needle. You will see that now
the needle moves in the opposite direction, that is, towards the west [see Fig (b)]. It
means that the direction of magnetic field produced by the electric current is also
reversed.

3. Magnetic Field due to a Current through a Straight Conductor

 Take a battery (12 V), a variable resistance (or a rheostat), an ammeter (0–5 A), a plug
key, and a long straight thick copper wire.

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 Insert the thick wire through the centre, normal to the plane of a rectangular cardboard.
Take care that the cardboard is fixed and does not slide up or down.
 Connect the copper wire vertically between the points X and Y, as shown in Fig. (a), in
series with the battery, a plug and key.
 Sprinkle some iron filings uniformly on the cardboard. (You may use a salt sprinkler for
this purpose.)
 Keep the variable of the rheostat at a fixed position and note the current through the
ammeter.
 Close the key so that a current flows through the wire. Ensure that the copper wire
placed between the points X and Y remains vertically straight.
 Gently tap the cardboard a few times. Observe the pattern of the iron filings. You would
find that the iron filings align themselves showing a pattern of concentric circles around
the copper wire (Fig. b)

 What do these concentric circles represent?

They represent the magnetic field lines.
 How can the direction of the magnetic field be found?
Place a compass at a point (say P) over a circle. Observe the direction of the needle.
The direction of the north pole of the compass needle would give the direction of the
field lines produced by the electric current through the straight wire at point P.
 Does the direction of magnetic field lines get reversed if the direction of current
through the straight copper wire is reversed?
Yes.
 What happens to the deflection of the compass needle placed at a given point if the
current in the copper wire is changed?
We find that the deflection in the needle also changes. In fact, if the current is
increased, the deflection also increases. It indicates that the magnitude of the
magnetic field produced at a given point increases as the current through the wire
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  What happens to the deflection of the needle if the compass is moved from the
copper wire but the current through the wire remains the same?
We see that the deflection in the needle decreases. Thus, the magnetic field produced
by a given current in the conductor decreases as the distance from it increases.
 Right-Hand Thumb Rule
Imagine that you are holding a current-carrying straight conductor in your right hand
such that the thumb points towards the direction of current. Then your fingers will
wrap around the conductor in the direction of the field lines of the magnetic field, as
shown in Fig. below. This is known as the right-hand thumb rule.

4. Magnetic Field due to a Current through a Circular Loop

 Take a rectangular cardboard having two holes. Insert a circular coil having large
number of turns through them, normal to the plane of the cardboard.
 Connect the ends of the coil in series with a battery, a key and a rheostat, as shown in
Fig. below.
 Sprinkle iron filings uniformly on the cardboard.
 Plug the key.
 Tap the cardboard gently a few times. Note the pattern of the iron filings that emerges
on the cardboard. The concentric circles representing the magnetic field around it would
be formed.

 By the time we reach at the centre of the circular loop, why are we able to see
straight lines?
By the time we reach at the centre of the circular loop, the arcs of these big circles
would appear as straight lines.

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  If there is a circular coil having n turns, what would be the field produced?
If there is a circular coil having n turns, the field produced is n times as large as that
produced by a single turn. This is because the current in each circular turn has the
same direction, and the field due to each turn then just adds up.

Magnetic field around the circular loop

5. Magnetic Field due to a Current in a Solenoid

 What is solenoid?
A coil of many circular turns of insulated copper wire wrapped closely in the shape of
a cylinder is called a solenoid.
 What is the pattern of magnetic field lines around solenoid?
The pattern of the magnetic field lines around a current-carrying solenoid is shown in
Fig. below.

 Compare the pattern of the field with the magnetic field around a bar magnet. Do
they look similar?
Yes, they are similar. In fact, one end of the solenoid behaves as a magnetic north
pole, while the other behaves as the south pole.
 The field lines inside the solenoid are in the form of parallel straight lines. What does
this indicate?
This indicates that the magnetic field is the same at all points inside the solenoid.
That is, the field is uniform inside the solenoid.

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 What is an electromagnet?
A strong magnetic field produced inside a solenoid can be used to magnetise a piece
of magnetic material, like soft iron, when placed inside the coil (Fig. below). The
magnet so formed is called an electromagnet.

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