Question

Describe an activity to demonstrate the direction of the magnetic field generated around a current carrying conductor.

Answer 1

We can use a thick conducting wire battery, a rheostat, magnetic needle, ammeter $\left( {{\text{0 - 5A}}} \right)$ , key, a cardboard, a stand to hold the wire. Also, we need some iron filings and sprinklers of iron filings to perform the experiment.

Complete step by step answer:
It is already known that we need to study the magnetic field due to a straight current carrying conductor.
So, we attach the thick wire through a hole at the middle of the cardboard and clamp it in a stand. Then we attach the ends of the wire through a key, variable resistor and an ammeter on either side of a battery and hold it vertically and perpendicularly to the board.
Now, we will be spreading the iron filings uniformly on the cardboard and placing the magnetic needle on the board.
Hence, Magnetic field around a straight conducting wire concentric circles indicate the field lines
It is further observed that just on closing the key, the iron filings are aligned in the pattern of concentric circles around the wire.

Note:
We should also know about the right-Hand Thumb Rule. This rule is used to find the direction of magnetic field due to a straight current carrying wire. It states that if we hold the current carrying-conductor in the right hand in such a way that the thumb is stretched along the direction of current, then the curly finger around the conductor represents the direction of the magnetic field produced by it.
The current carrying conductor is a source of magnetic field. The magnetic field is in the form of concentric circles whose centre lies on the wire.