Question

What inferences were drawn from Oersted’s experiment?
A. A current or a moving charge produces magnetic field around it
B. Presence of magnetic field can be detected using a compass needle
C. The strength and the direction of the magnetic field depends on the magnitude and direction of the current
D. All of the above

Answer 1

Oersted tried to study the magnetic force generated by the flow of electric charge. A magnetic needle was used to note the variation in the magnetic field around a current carrying conductor which bends in the direction of the magnetic field generated by the current carry conductor.

Complete step by step answer:
Oersted’s experiment consisted of the current carrying conductor and magnetic needle. He wanted to study if the flow of electric charge or current will produce a magnetic around it.
When a magnetic needle is kept away from any such current carrying conductor then its needle comes to rest in the direction of the magnetic field of earth.
Then when the needle is brought close to a current carrying conductor then it is noticed that the magnetic needle shows deflection. The deflection is in the direction of the magnetic field that the current carrying conductor produces.
Through this experiment it was verified that a current carrying conductor produces a magnetic field around it and this magnetic field can be easily detected by bringing a magnetic needle in the vicinity of the current carrying conductor. Also the strength and the direction of the magnetic field depend on the magnitude and direction of the current.

Therefore, based on the above discussion, we can say that the correct answer is option D as all the other options are correct.

Note:
When a charge is at rest, it produces an electric field and when we apply a potential difference to it, it flows constituting a current which produces a magnetic field around it. The electric and magnetic fields are the manifestations of the same electromagnetic force in nature.