Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

Explanation/Reason/Laws/Rules/Devices/PracticalelectricBellandelectromagnet.
In 1820 Hans Christian Oersted during his experiment found that when an electric
current flows in a wire it moves a compass needle andthiseffectlastsaslongasthe
current flows through the wire. This experiment established the relation between
electricityandmagnetism.
If we place a compass near to a electric current carrying wire we can observe a
deflectionincompassneedle.Theneedleofcompassgetsdeflectedbyamagneticfield
produced by current carrying wire. This effect which produced by the flow of electric
currentiscalledMagneticEffectofelectriccurrent.
In this unit we will learn about Magnetism, Magnet, Magnetic effect of electriccurrent
anditsapplications.
Magnetism:
The magnetism is the property possessed by certain bodies of attracting or repelling
otherbodiesofmagneticsubstances.

Magnet:
Amagnet isan object or a device that gives off an external magnetic field.Basically, it
appliesaforce over a distanceonother magnets,electrical currents, beamsofcharge,
circuits, or magnetic materials.The basic atomic structure of a
Magnet seems toalign
most of the molecules in the same direction. Since many atoms have a
magnetic
moment (tiny magnetic field), all of the moments can add up to create a magnet.
Scientistsusetheword
hysteresis
todescribethewaytheatomsstayaligned.

Therearetwotypesofmagnets
NaturalMagnet:
Themagnetfoundinnaturearecallednaturalmagnets
ArtificialMagnet
ThemagnetswhicharemadeartificiallyarecalledArtificialMagnet.
OnthebasisoflifeofMagnetismthemagnetscanbeclassifiedintotwocategories
PermanentMagnet
Themagnet whichretainstheir magnetism foralong time iscalledpermanentmagnet.
Thestrongest and best permanentmagnetsaremadeofalloyslikeAlmico(Aluminium,
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

Nickel, Cobalt and Iron) Permalloy (Cobalt,NickelandIronor NickelandIron)Vicalloy

(Cobalt,IronandVanadium).
TemporaryMagnet
The magnets which retain their magnetism for a short time are called temporary
magnet. All electromagnets are temporary electromagnet because they show
magnetism till the flow of electric current when the flow of electric current stops the
magnetismendsincoil.
MagneticLines
Itispossibletoseethisforcethroughasimpleexperiment:

BarMagnetExperiment
Put a
Bar Magnet under a sheet of glass and sprinkle Iron Filings on the glass. The
"lines of force" from the
Magnet show up clearly as the Filings form a pattern. Notice
that the attractive forces are greatest at the two "ends" of the
Magnet
, where the
majorityofFilingsgather.Wecallthese"ends""poles."
Thedensity ofthepatternrepresentsthe
strengthofthefield,whichisthemagnitudeof
the forceexerted uponamagneticmaterial placedat the point in thefield. Theselines
arecalled"linesofmagneticflux."
Magnetic flux:
The total number of lines offorce around a magnet is calledmagnetic
flux.

TypesofMagnets
There are many different types of magnets.
Permanent magnets never lose their
magnetism. There are materials in the world that are called
ferromagnetic
. Those
materials are able to create and hold a specific alignment of
their atoms. Since many atoms have a
magnetic moment
(tiny magnetic field), all ofthemomentscanadduptocreatea
magnet. Scientists use the word
hysteresis to describe the
waytheatomsstayaligned.

Most of the magnets you see around you are manmade.

Since theyweren'toriginallymagnetic,theylosetheirmagnetic
characteristics over time. Dropping them, for example,
weakenstheirmagnetismasdoesheatingthem,orhammeringonthem,etc.
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

There are also

aircore magnets
. Aircore magnets are created by current flowing
through a wire.Thatcurrentproducesthemagneticfield.Youcreateanaircore magnet
bywrappingmiles of wirearoundinadoughnutshape(
toroid
).Whenyousendcurrent
through the wire, a magnetic field is created inside of the doughnut. Scientists
sometimesuseaircoremagnetstostudy
fusionreactions
.

Electromagnets are different because theyhave a ferromagneticmaterial(usuallyiron

or steel) located insideof the coils ofwire. The core isn'tairitissomethingthataidsin
producing magnetic effects,soelectromagnetsaretypicallystrongerthanacomparable
aircore magnet. Aircore and electromagnets can be turned on and off. They both
depend on currents of electricity to give them magnetic characteristics. Not only can
they be turned on and off, but they can also be made much stronger than ordinary
magnets. You might see an electromagnet atwork in ajunkyard liftingold cars off the
ground

MagneticField
A magnetic field is defined as a region in which a magnetic force is present. In a
magnetic field, the magnetic dipole (two equal and oppositely charged or magnetized
poles separated by a distance) experiences a turning force, which tends to align it
parallel to the directionof the field. Theconceptof amagneticfield can beunderstood
withthehelpofthefollowingactivity:

Placeapieceofcardboardoveramagnet

Sprinklesomeironfilingsontothecardboard

Tapthecardboardgentlyanddrawwhatyousee

Theironfilingsshowthemagneticfieldofthemagnet

MagneticEffect:
The effect which applies a force over magnetic materials, beam of charges, electrical
currentoronothermagnetiscalledMagneticeffect.

MagneticLinesofForceDueToCurrentinaStraightWire
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

Thedirection of the magnetic field due to a current may bestudiedbydrawingthe magneticlinesofforce.Avertical

wireABispassedthroughahorizontalcardboardPQRS.Ionfilings aresprinkledonthecardboard.Currentispassed
throughitbyconnectingabatterytoit.Ironfilingsspreadevenlyonthecardboard.When acompassneedleisplaced
on the cardboard, the direction of theneedlewillshowthe directionofthe magneticfield. Thepointonthecardboard
wherethe north pole of the needle issituratedismarked.The needle isshifted alittle sothatitssouth poletakesthe
same position where the north pole wassituatedpreviously.The positionofthe northpole ismarked. Ifthecurrentis
strongthelineswillbecircular.Thearrowsonthecircularlinesshowthedirectionofthemagneticfield.

MagneticFieldLinesDuetoStraightWire
Ifthe direction of the current is reversed, the lines will still becircular,butthe directionsofthe lineswillbereversed,
whichcanbeverifiedusingthecompassneedle.

End

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

Maxwell'sRightHandGripRule
Thedirection of the magnetic field around a current carrying conductor can be explained bya simpleruleknownas
Maxwell's right handgriprule. Ifwe hold the current carrying wire in our right handinsucha waythatthe
thumb is stretched along the direction of the current, then the curled fingers give the direction of the
magneticfieldproducedbythecurrent.

Maxwell'sRightHandGripRule

MagneticFieldduetoaSolenoid
When a longwireiscoiledintheshapeofaspringsothat theturnsarecloselyspaced and insulated from eachother
it forms asolenoid. Generally, a wire is coiled overanonconductinghollowcylindricaltube. Anironrod is
ofteninsertedinsidethehollowtube.Thisrodiscalledthecore.

MagneticFieldduetoaSolenoid
The free ends of the solenoid are connected to a battery to pass current through the solenoid. This produces a
magneticfield. The magneticfieldinsidethecoilisalmostconstantinmagnitudeanddirection.The current
carryingsolenoidproducesmagneticfieldsimilartothatofabarmagnet. Oneendofthesolenoid becomes
thenorthpoleandtheotherendbecomesasouthpole.
Themagnitudeofthefielddependsonthefollowingfactors.Themagneticfieldisdirectlyproportionalto:

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

theamountofcurrentpassingthroughthesolenoid

thenumberofturnsofthesolenoid.Italsodependsonthecorematerial.

Since the magnetic field formed by the solenoid is temporaryitisusedtomake electromagnets.Electromagnetsare

usedinelectricbells,cranes,etc.

ElectromagneticInduction
Theprocessofproducingelectricitybymagneticfieldiscalledelectromagneticinduction.
Electric currentcan also be induced through a wire loop, by moving it near a fixed magnet. So a currentisinduced
either by moving a magnet near the loop or by moving the loop near a magnet. It is the relative motion
between thetwowhichisimportant.Itdoesnotmatterwhichofthetwois moved.Thus theelectromagnetic
induction takes place because of the relative motion between a magnet and a coil. The induced current
existsaslongasthereisarelativemotionbetweenthecoilandthemagnet.
When the magnet is moved faster, then the amount of current induced is found to be higher. Normally moving the
magnetsinalinearfashionisdifficult.Henceadifferentarrangementisused.
Thefiguregivenbelowshowsawireloop,asectionABofwhichliesinamagnetic field.Agalvanometer isconnected
totheloop.

ElectromagneticInduction
Thewireis directed along southnorth direction and the magnetic field is from west to east.When theloopis pulled
up suchthatthewireABmovesupwardsinthefield,acurrentisinducedin theloopas shownin thefigure.
The direction of the current will be from A to B, i.e., from south to north. If the loop is pushed down
vertically,thedirectionofthecurrentinthewirewillbefromBtoA.

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

Fleming'sRightHandRule
Thedirection ofthecurrentinawiremovingperpendiculartoitselfandtoamagnetic field maybe found byFleming's
right hand rule. If the thumb, forefinger and middle finger of the right hand are stretched in a mutually
perpendicular direction, in such a way that the forefinger directs towards the magnetic field, the thumb
showsthemotionofthewire,thenthemiddlefingershowsthedirectionoftheinducedcurrent.
So the phenomenon electromagnetic induction paved us the way to generate current without the electrochemical
cells.Itformedtheprincipleunderlyingtheworkingofdynamos.

Anelectriccurrentproducesamagneticfield

Amagneticfieldexistsintheregionsurroundingamagnet,inwhichtheforceofthemagnetcanbedetected

Fieldlinesareusedtorepresentamagneticfield

Themagneticfieldlinesofastraightcurrentarecircularwithcentresonthewirecarryingthecurrent

Themagnetic field inside a current carrying solenoid isuniformandparallel to theaxis.It behaveslikea bar
magnet

Anelectromagnetconsistsofasoftironcorewrappedwithaninsulatedcopperwire

When a current carrying wire is placed in a magnetic field, a forceactsonthe wire.The directionofforce is
givenbyFleming'slefthandrule.Thisisthebasisofelectricmotor

Anelectricmotorisadevicethatconvertselectricalenergyintomechanicalenergy

Thephenomenon by which an emf or current is induced in a conductor due tochangein themagneticfield

neartheconductorisknownaselectromagneticinduction

Thedirection of the induced current isgivenbyFleming'srighthandrule.Thisformsthebasisofthe electric

generator

Anelectricgeneratorisadevicethatconvertsmechanicalenergyintoelectricalenergy

InourhouseswereceiveACelectricpowerof220Vwithafrequencyof50 Hz. Therearetwowiresthe live

wireandneutralwire.Thepotentialdifferencebetweenthetwowiresis220V

Earthing and electric fuse are the two commonly used safety measures in electrical circuits. It prevents
electricshock

Electricfuseisasafetydeviceusedforprotectingthecircuitsduetooverloadingandshortcircuiting

Rules

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

RulesforDeterminingtheDirectionofMagneticField
Thedirection of magneticfieldaroundacurrentcarryingconductor canbedeterminedbyusing one of thelawsgiven
here.

RightHandThumbRule
Imagine the conductor to be held in your right hand with the fingers curled around it. If the thumb points in the
directionofthecurrent,thenthecurledfingersshowthedirectionofthemagneticfield

Maxwell'sCorkScrewRule
Imaginea righthanded corkscrewbeingrotatedalongthe wire inthe directionofthe current.Thedirectionofrotation
ofthethumbgivesthedirectionofthemagneticlinesofforce.

Ampere'sSwimmingRule
Ampere's swimming rule states that "if a man swims along the wire carrying current such that his face is always
towards the magnetic needle with current entering his feetandleavinghisheadthentheNorthPoleofthe
magneticneedleisalwaysdeflectedtowardshislefthand".

ClockRule
According to the clock rule "When an observer, looking at the face of the coil, finds the current to be flowing in the
anticlockwisedirection,thenthefaceofthecoilwillbehavelikethe NorthPole.Whileifthecurrentisinthe
clockwisedirection,thefaceofthecoilwillbehavelikeSouthPole.

Fleming'sRule
Fleming's rules helpus to predict the movement of a current carrying conductor placed in a magnetic field and the
directionoftheinducedcurrent.

Fleming'sLeftHandRule
Extend the thumb, forefinger, and the middle finger of the left hand in such a way that all the three are mutually
perpendicular to each another. If the forefinger points in the direction of the magnetic field and themiddle
finger in the direction of the current, then, the thumb points in the direction of the force exerted on the
conductor.

Fleming'sRightHandRule
Stretch the forefinger, the middle finger andthethumbofthe righthand,suchthattheyaremutuallyperpendicularto
each other. If forefinger indicates the direction of the magnetic field, the thumb indicates the direction of
motionoftheconductor,then,middlefingerindicatesthedirectionofinducedcurrentintheconductor.

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

Major progress in understanding magnetism came after the relationship between electricity and
magnetism was established by Hans Christian Oersted in 1820.Hefoundthatanelectriccurrent
moves a compass needle and this effect lasts as long as the current flows through the wire. Itis
thenpossibletoproducemagnetismwithoutanymagneticsubstanceatall.
Acoilofwirecouldproduceamagneticfieldexactlylikethefieldaroundapermanentmagnet.
MagneticField
A magnetic field is defined as a region in whichamagneticforceispresent. Inamagneticfield,
the magnetic dipole (two equal and oppositely charged or magnetized poles separated by a
distance) experiences a turning force, which tends toalignitparalleltothedirectionofthefield.
Theconceptofamagneticfieldcanbeunderstoodwiththehelpofthefollowingactivity:
Placeapieceofcardboardoveramagnet
Sprinklesomeironfilingsontothecardboard
Tapthecardboardgentlyanddrawwhatyousee
Theironfilingsshowthemagneticfieldofthemagnet
MagneticLinesofForceDueToCurrentinaStraightWire
The direction of the magnetic field due to a current may be studied by drawing the magnetic
lines of force. A verticalwireABispassedthroughahorizontalcardboardPQRS.Ionfilingsare
sprinkled on the cardboard. Current ispassedthroughitbyconnectingabatterytoit.Ironfilings
spread evenlyonthecardboard.Whenacompassneedleisplaced on thecardboard,thedirection
of the needle will show thedirectionofthemagneticfield.Thepointonthecardboardwherethe
north pole of the needle is siturated is marked. The needleisshiftedalittlesothatitssouthpole
takes the same position where the north pole was situated previously. The position of the north
pole is marked. If the current is strong the lineswillbecircular.Thearrowsonthecircularlines
showthedirectionofthemagneticfield.

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

MagneticFieldLinesDuetoStraightWire
If the direction of the current is reversed, the lines will still be circular, but thedirectionsofthe
lineswillbereversed,whichcanbeverifiedusingthecompassneedle.
Maxwell'sRightHandGripRule
The direction of the magnetic field around a current carrying conductor can be explained by a
simple rule known as Maxwell's right hand grip rule. If we holdthecurrentcarryingwireinour
right hand in such a way that the thumb is stretched along the direction of the current, then the
curledfingersgivethedirectionofthemagneticfieldproducedbythecurrent.

Maxwell'sRightHandGripRule
MagneticFieldduetoaSolenoid
When a long wire is coiled in the shape of a spring so that the turns are closely spaced and
insulated from each other it forms a solenoid. Generally, a wire is coiled overa nonconducting
hollow cylindrical tube. An iron rod is often inserted inside the hollow tube. This rod is called
thecore.
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

MagneticFieldduetoaSolenoid
Thefreeendsofthesolenoidareconnectedtoabattery topass currentthroughthesolenoid.This
produces a magnetic field.Themagneticfieldinsidethecoilisalmostconstantin magnitudeand
direction. The current carrying solenoid produces magnetic field similar to thatof abarmagnet.
Oneendofthesolenoidbecomesthenorthpoleandtheotherendbecomesasouthpole.
The magnitude of the field depends on the following factors. The magnetic field is directly
proportionalto:
theamountofcurrentpassingthroughthesolenoid
thenumberofturnsofthesolenoid.Italsodependsonthecorematerial.
Since the magnetic field formed by the solenoid is temporary it isusedtomakeelectromagnets.
Electromagnetsareusedinelectricbells,cranes,etc.
ElectromagneticInduction
Theprocessofproducingelectricitybymagneticfieldiscalledelectromagneticinduction.
Electric current can also be induced through a wire loop,bymovingitnearafixedmagnet.Soa
current is inducedeitherbymovingamagnetnearthelooporbymovingtheloopneara magnet.
It is the relative motion between the two which isimportant.Itdoesnotmatterwhichofthetwo
is moved. Thustheelectromagneticinductiontakesplacebecauseofthe relativemotionbetween
a magnet and a coil. The induced current exists as long asthereisa relative motionbetweenthe
coilandthemagnet.
When the magnet is moved faster, then the amount of current induced is found to be higher.
Normally moving the magnets in a linear fashion is difficult. Hence a different arrangement is
used.
The figure given below shows a wire loop, a section AB of which lies in a magnetic field. A
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

galvanometerisconnectedtotheloop.

ElectromagneticInduction
The wire is directed along southnorth direction and the magnetic field is from west to east.
When the loop is pulled up such that the wire AB moves upwards in the field, a current is
induced in the loop as shown in the figure. The directionofthecurrentwillbefromAtoB,i.e.,
from south to north. If the loopispusheddownvertically,thedirectionofthecurrentinthewire
willbefromBtoA.

Fleming'sRightHandRule
The direction of the current in a wire movingperpendiculartoitselfandtoamagneticfieldmay
be found by Fleming's right hand rule. If the thumb, forefinger and middle finger of the right
hand are stretched in amutuallyperpendiculardirection,insucha waythattheforefingerdirects
towards the magnetic field, the thumb shows the motion of the wire, then the middle finger
showsthedirectionoftheinducedcurrent.
So the phenomenon electromagnetic induction paved us the way to generate currentwithoutthe
electrochemicalcells.Itformedtheprincipleunderlyingtheworkingofdynamos.

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

Anelectricmotorisadevicewhichconvertselectricalenergyintomechanicalenergy.

It works on the principle that when an electric current is passed through a conductor placed
normally in a magnetic field a force acts on the conductor as a result of which the conductor
beginstomove.ThedirectionoftheforceisobtainedwiththehelpofFleming'slefthandrule.
Construction
The figure below shows the construction of an electric motor. The main parts of an electric
motorare:

D.C.Motor
thearmaturecoilABCDmountedonanaxle
thecommutatorthatisasplitringdividedintwopartsS1andS2

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

apairofbrushesB1andB2
ahorseshoeelectromagnet
The coil ABCD is wound round a soft iron and is placed in between the pole pieces of a
powerful horse shoe magnet. The coilisfreetorotateaboutitsaxis.TheendsofthecoilA and
D are connected to split parts of the ring S1 andS2respectively.TwobrushesB1andB2,made
of carbonorcopper,touchthesplitringsS1andS2respectively.Adcsourceisconnected across
thebrushesB1andB2.Whenthecoilrotates,thesplitringsrotatebutthebrushesdonotmove.
A wheel can be mounted on the axle placed along the axis of the coil so as to drive the desired
partsofthemachinesuchaselectricfan,washingmachineetc.wherethemotorisused.
Working
The plane of the coil is horizontal and the split ring S1 touchesthebrushB1whilethesplitring
S2 touches the brush B2. The brush B1 is connected to the anode of the d.c. battery while the
brush B2 is connected to the cathode. The current flows in the coil in the direction ABCD.The
armsBCandDAbeingparalleltothemagneticfieldexperiencenoforce.
AccordingtoFleming'slefthandruleforce'F'actingonthearmAB,isinwardandperpendicular
to theplaneofthe coil andtheforceonthearmCDisinjustintheoppositedirection.Theforces
on the arms AB and CD being equal and opposite form an anticlockwise couple, due to which
the coil begins to rotate. It rotates in such a waythatthearmABgoesinandthearmCDcomes
out.
When the coil reachestheverticalposition,thecouplebecomeszero sincetheforcesonthearms
now become collinear. But due tothe inertiaofmotion,thecoildoesnotstopinthisposition.As
the coil passes from the vertical the split ring S1 comes in contact with the brush B2, while the
split ring S2 comes in contact with the brush B1. Now the current flows through the coil in the
direction DCBA and the forces acting on the arms DC and AB of the coil again form an
anticlockwise, couple due to which the coil remains rotating in the same direction. Thus,
whenever the coil comes in the vertical position, the direction of the current through the coil
reversesandthecoilcontinuestorotateinthesamedirection.
The deflecting couple on the coil is maximum when the plane of the coil is parallel to the
direction of the magnetic field and the deflecting couple is minimum when the plane ofthecoil
isperpendiculartothemagnetfield.
The speed of rotation of the coil depends on the deflecting couple acting on the coil. Hence the
speedofrotationofthecoilcanbeincreasedby,
increasingthenumberofturnsofthecoil
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

increasingthestrengthofthecurrent
increasingtheareaofthecoil
increasingthestrengthofthemagneticfield.
The electric generator is a machine for producing electric current. The electric generator or
dynamoconvertsmechanicalenergyintoelectricalenergy.

DCGenerator
Principle
The generator is an application ofelectromagneticinduction.Itworksonthe principlethatwhen
a wire is moved in a magnetic field, then the current is induced in thecoil.A rectangularcoilis
made to rotate rapidly in the magnetic field between the poles of a horse shoe type magnet.
When the coil rotates, it cuts the lines of magnetic force, due to which a current is produced in
thegeneratorcoil.Thiscurrentcanbeusedtorunthevariouselectricalappliances.
Construction
A simple D.C. generator consists of a rectangular coil ABCD which can be rotated rapidly
betweenthepolesNandSof astronghorseshoetypemagnetM.Thegeneratorcoilismadeofa
large number of turnsof insulatedcopperwire.Thetwoendsofthecoilareconnectedtothetwo
copper half rings (or split rings) R1 and R2 of a commutator. There are two carbon brushes B1
and B2 which press lightly againstthetwohalfrings.When thecoilisrotated,thetwohalfrings
R1 and R2 touch the two carbon brushes B1 and B2 one by one. So the currentproducedinthe
rotating coil can be tapped out through the commutator half rings and into the carbon brushes.
From the carbon brushes B1 andB2wecansupplycurrentintovariouselectricalapplianceslike
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

radio,television,electricbulbetc.
Working
Let us suppose that the generator coil ABCD is initially in the horizontal position. As the coil
rotates in the anticlockwise direction between the pole NandSofthemagnetthesideABofthe
coil moves down cutting the magnetic lines of force near the Npole of themagnetandsideDC
moves up, cutting the linesofforceneartheSpoleofthemagnet.Duetothis,inducedcurrentis
produced in the sides AB and DC of the coil. On applying Fleming'srighthandruletothesides
AB and DC of the coil we find that the currents in them are in the directionsBtoAandDtoC
respectively. Thus the induced currents in the two sides of the coilareinthesamedirectionand
we getaneffectiveinducedcurrentinthedirectionBADC.DuetothisthebrushB1 becomes the
positivepoleandbrushB2becomesthenegativepoleofthegenerator.
After half revolution, the sides AB and DC of the coil will interchange their positions.Theside
AB will come on the righthandsideand startsmovingupwhereassideDCwillcomeontheleft
hand side and start movingdown.Butwhensidesofthecoilinterchangetheirpositions,thenthe
two commutatorhalfringsR1andR2automaticallychangetheircontactsfromonecarbon brush
to the other. Due to this change, the current keeps flowing in the same direction. Thus a DC
generatorsuppliesacurrentonlyinonedirection.
If the current flows always in the same direction, it is called 'direct current'.Directioncurrentis
represented as DC or dc. The current derivedfromacellor abatteryisdirectcurrentsinceit is
unidirectional. The positive and negative terminals are fixed. If the current changes direction
after equal intervals of time, it is called alternating current.Alternatingcurrentcanbewrittenas
AC or ac. Most of the power stations generate alternating current. The following are the circuit
elementsrepresentingdcandac.

Thedifferencecanbelearntbydrawingvoltagetimegraph.

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

The DC sources are described only in turns of the steady voltage and AC sources are described
withmaximumvoltageandthefrequencywithwhichthevoltagevaries.

Magnetic Field Basics

Magnetic fields are different from electric fields. Although both types of fields are
interconnected, they do different things. The idea of magnetic field lines and
magnetic fields was first examined by
Michael Faraday
and later by
James
Clerk Maxwell
. Both of these English scientists made great discoveries in the
fieldof
electromagnetism
.

Magnetic fields are areas where an object exhibits a magnetic influence. The
fields affect neighboring objects along things called magnetic field lines. A
magnetic object can attract or push away another magnetic object. You also
needto rememberthatmagnetic forces are NOTrelatedto
gravity
.Theamount
of gravity is basedon anobject'smass,whilemagneticstrengthisbasedonthe
materialthattheobjectismadeof.

If you place an object in a magnetic field, it willbe affected,andtheeffect will

happen along field lines. Many classroom experiments watch small pieces of
iron (Fe)line up around magnets alongthefield lines.
Magneticpolesarethe
points where the magnetic field lines begin and end. Field lines converge or
come togetherat the poles. Youhave probablyheardofthe poles ofthe Earth.
Those poles are places where our planets field lines come together. We call
those poles north and south because that's where they're locatedon Earth. All
magneticobjectshave fieldlinesand poles. Itcanbeassmallasanatomoras
largeasastar.

AttractedandRepulsed
You know about charged particles. There arepositiveandnegative charges. Youalso
know that positive charges are attractedto negativecharges.AFrenchscientist
named
AndreMarie Ampere studied the relationship between electricity and
magnetism.Hediscoveredthatmagneticfieldsareproducedbymovingcharges
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

(
current
).And moving chargesare affectedbymagnets.Stationarycharges,on
the other hand, do not produce magnetic fields, and are not affected by
magnets
.Two wires,with current flowing, whenplacednext to each other,may
attractorrepelliketwomagnets.Itallhastodowithmovingcharges.

Earth'sMagneticField
Magnets are simple examples of natural magnetic fields. But
guess what? The Earth has a huge magnetic field. Because
the core of our planet is filled with molten iron (Fe), there
is a large field that protects the Earth from space radiation
and particles such as the solar wind. When you look at tiny
magnets, they are working in a similar way. The magnet
has a field around it.
As noted earlier, current in wires produces a magnetic
effect. You can increase the strength of that magnetic field
by increasing the current through the wire. We can use this
principle to make artificial, adjustable magnets called
electromagnets, by making coils of wire, and then passing
current through the coils.
Flowing Electrons
Electric current isverysimilartoaflowingriver.Theriverflowsfromonespottoanother
andthe speeditmovesisthespeedofthecurrent.Thesizeofthe
currentflow
isrelated more to the size of theriverthanitis tothe speedoftheriver.Ariver
carries more water each second than a stream, even if both flow at the same
speed. With electricity, current is ameasureoftheamountof
chargetransferred
over a period of time. Current is a flow of
electrons
, or individual negative
charges. When charge flows, it carries energy that can be used to do work.
Scientistsmeasurecurrentwithunitscalledamperes.

CurrentandHeat
One of the results of current is the
heating of the conductor. When an electric stove
heats up, it's because of the flow of current. The electrons have a
mass
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

(however small), and when they move through the conductor, there are
collisions that produce heat. Themore electrons bumping into the atoms of the
conductor, the more heatis created,sohigher current generally means greater
heat.

Scientists used to think that the flowof currentalwaysheateduptheobject,but

with modern
superconductors
,thatisnotalwaystrue,oratleastnotastrueas
with normal materials.Superconductingmaterialsseemto havelessinteraction
betweenatomsandcurrent,sothemovingchargeslosemuchlessenergy.

SpacesBetweenAtoms
Everything that is matter can conduct electricity, but not everything does it well.
Scientists use the terms
conductors
, insulators, and semiconductors. The
labels are used to describe howeasilyenergyis transferredthroughthe object
bymovingcharge.Thespacesbetweentheatoms,aswellasthetypeofatoms,
determines whether an object a good
conductor or a good
insulator (poor
conductor).

UsableCurrent
There are two main kinds of electric current,
direct current (DC)
and
alternating current (AC). They are easy to remember.
Direct current is a flow of charge always in one direction.
Alternating current is a flow of charge back and forth,
changing its direction many times in one second. Batteries
produce DC current, while the outlets in our homes use AC
current.
Be very careful if you work with electricity. NEVER touch
the plugs in your house. That electricity is very powerful
and it can hurt you badly. Electricity from batteries can
also injure you. We have burned ourselves when working
with batteries and electromagnets, so we know what can
happen. To be safe, go get an adult to help you with any
experiments.
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

Resisting Current
Thecollisionsbetweenelectronsandatomsina conductorcause
resistancetotheflow
of charge.Wemeasurethatresistanceinordertodeterminetheeffectthatitwill
have on current. Scientists measure resistance in
ohms (rhymes withhomes).
Thereis a magical littleformula usedto figure outtheresistanceinanelectrical
system.ThatformulaiscalledOhm'sLaw,V=IR.

MeasuringResistance
The symbol "V" is used to represent something called the
potential difference
.
Potential differenceistheamountofworkdoneinmovingachargebetweentwo
points,dividedbythesizeofthecharge.That'skindofcomplicated,though.You
canthinkof potential aselectricalheight. Highpotential(nearpositive charge)is
kind oflikebeingontopof a hill. Low potential(nearnegativecharge)iskindof
like being ina valley.Sopotentialdifferenceindicatesthedifferenceinelectrical
height between two points. Thegreater that difference,the more likely it isthat
chargewill move.The potentialdifference ismeasuredin volts,and potentialis
commonly referred to as voltage. "I" is the symbol for
current and "R" is the
symbol for the
resistance of the system. Currentis measured in amperes and
resistanceismeasuredinohms.

How can you think of resistance? Have you ever gone to a baseball game?
Between innings, we like going to get some food. There are always people
between the counter and us. Resistance to current is similar to you trying to
make your waythroughthecrowdstogetyourhotdog.Youhavetoweaveyour
way through the people to reach your goal. The more people inyourway,the
more resistance. If everyone is in their seats it is supereasyto get your food.
Therewouldbeverylittleresistance.

Let's go back to that equation and look at it in terms of resistance.Whenyou

move the valuesaround you get
R=V/I
. InEnglish thatmeansthe resistanceof
asystemisbasedonvoltageandcurrent.NotallconductorsfollowOhm'slaw.

Resistance is also based on the

resistivity of a material. The resistivity of a
materialchanges becauseof chemical makeup or thetemperature. Copperis a
better conductor than wood so copper would have lower resistivity. That
resistivitycombines with(1) the distanceand(2)thespacethatchargeshaveto
move in (thin vs. thick wires) to affect the "R" value. Greater length results in
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

more resistance,and thick wiresresultin less. When people connectspeakers,

theyusuallyusewiresthatareasshortandthickaspossible.

KnockingElectronsAround
In metals, electrons carry the charges of the current as it flows. What stops the
electrons? What offers the resistance to that current? Nothing allowsaperfect
flow of current, not even
superconductors
. In metal, there aretiny flaws. You
can't see them because they are on a molecular level. Those imperfections
causethe electronsto collidewiththemetalatoms.Whentheyhitthemetal,the
electronslose energy.Wheredoesthatenergygo?Itisusuallyturnedinto
heat
.
You can watchahotplateheatup,or maybeastovetop.Theyheatupbecause
of thecollisions betweenelectronsandthemetal.Imperfectionsmeancollisions
collisionsmeanheat.

FaradayBasics
Faraday'slawof induction isone ofthe importantconceptsof electricity. It looks atthe
way changing
magneticfieldscancause
currenttoflowinwires.Basically,itisa
formula/concept that describes how potentialdifference (
voltage difference
) is
created and how much is created. It's a huge concept to understand that the
changingofamagneticfieldcancreatevoltage.

Faraday'sWork
MichaelFaraday was an Englishphysicist working inthe early1800's.Heworkedwith
another scientist named
Sir Humphrey Davy
. Faraday's big discovery
happened in 1831 when he found that when you changea magnetic field, you
cancreate an electriccurrent. He didalotof other work withelectricitysuchas
makinggeneratorsandexperimentingwithelectrochemistryandelectrolysis.

Faraday's experiments started with magnetic fields that stayed thesame. That
setup did not
induce current. It was only when he started to change the
magnetic fields that the current and voltage were induced (created). He
discovered that the changesin the magnetic fieldand thesize of thefield were
relatedto the amountof current created.Scientists alsousetheterm
magnetic
flux
.Magneticfluxis a value that isthestrengthofthemagneticfieldmultiplied
bythesurfaceareaofthedevice.

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

Faraday'sLaw
You'regoingto have to review yourGreek letterswhenyoumemorizetherealformula.
Herearethebasics...
E=dB/dt

"E" is the value of voltage induced (the old name for

voltage was "ElectroMotive Force", or EMF. That's the "E"
in the equation). The change in time for the experiment is
"dt". Time is measured in seconds. Last is "dB" which
stands for the change in magnetic flux. The magnetic flux is
the field lines of the magnetic field. The flux is equal to BA,
where B is the magnetic field strength, and A is the area.
This formula is a bit harder than those you may have seen
before.
In English: the amount of voltage created is equal to the
change in magnetic flux divided by the change in time. The
bigger the change you have in the magnetic field, the
greater amount of voltage.
Coulomb Basics
Coulomb's Law is one of the basic ideas of electricityin physics. Thelawlooks at the
forces created between two
charged objects
. As distanceincreases, theforces
and electric fields decrease. This simple idea was converted into a relatively
simple formula. The force between the objects can be positive or negative
dependingonwhethertheobjectsare
attracted
toeachotheror
repelled
.

Think about a few concepts before you continue reading. Some charges are
attracted to each other. Positive and negative charges like to move towards
each other. Similar charges such as two positive or two negative push away
from each other. You also need to understand that forces between objects
become stronger as they move together and weaker as they move apart. You
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

could yell at someone from far away, and they would barely hear you. If you
yelledthe sameamountwhenyouweretogether,itwouldbemorepowerfuland
loud.

Coulomb'sWork
Charles Augustin de Coulomb was a French scientist working in the late 1700's. A
little earlier, a British scientist named
Henry Cavendish came up with similar
ideas. Coulomb received most of the credit for the work on electric forces
because Cavendish did notpublish all ofhis work. The worldneverknewabout
Cavendish'sworkuntildecadesafterhedied.

Coulomb'sLaw
But you're here to learn about the law. When you have two
charged particles
, an
electric force iscreated.If you havelargercharges, the forces willbelarger.If
you use those two ideas, and add the fact that charges can attract and repel
eachother you will understand Coulomb's Law. It'saformulathatmeasuresthe
electricalforcesbetweentwoobjects.
2
F=kq
q
/r
1
2

"F" is the resulting force between the two charges. The distance between the
twochargesis"r." The"r"actuallystandsfor"
radiusofseparation
"butyoujust
need to know it is a distance. The "q1" and "q2" are values for theamount of
charge in each of the particles. Scientists use Coulombs as units to measure
charge. The constant ofthe equation is "k."As you learnmorephysics,youwill
seethatthisformulaisverysimilartoaformulafromNewton'sworkwith
gravity
.

WhatisaMagnet?
Amagnet isan object or a device that gives off an external
magnetic field
.Basically, it
applies a
force over a distanceonother magnets,electrical currents, beams of
charge, circuits, or magnetic materials.
Magnetism can even be caused by
electricalcurrents
.

While youmightthinkofmetalmagnetssuchasthe onesyouuseinclass,there

are many different types ofmagneticmaterials.Iron (Fe)is an easy materialto
use. Other elements such as neodymium (Nd) and samarium (Sm) are also
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

usedinmagnets.NeodymiummagnetsaresomeofthestrongestonEarth.

DifferentTypesofMagnets
There are many different types of magnets.
Permanent magnets never lose their
magnetism. There are materials in the world that are called
ferromagnetic
.
Those materials are ableto createand hold a specificalignmentoftheiratoms.
Since many atoms have a
magnetic moment (tiny magnetic field), all of the
momentscanadd up to createamagnet.Scientistsusetheword
hysteresisto
describethewaytheatomsstayaligned.

Most of the magnets you see around you are manmade. Since they weren't
originally magnetic, theylose their magnetic characteristics overtime.Dropping
them, for example, weakens their magnetism as does heating them, or
hammeringonthem,etc.

There are also

aircore magnets
. Aircore magnets are created by current
flowingthrough a wire.Thatcurrentproduces themagneticfield. Youcreatean
aircore magnetby wrapping milesofwirearoundinadoughnutshape(
toroid
).
When you send current through the wire, a magnetic field is created inside of
the doughnut. Scientists sometimes use aircore magnets to study
fusion
reactions
.

Electromagnets are different because they have a ferromagnetic material

(usually iron or steel) located inside of the coils of wire. Thecore isn't air, it is
something that aids in producing magnetic effects, so electromagnets are
typically stronger than a comparable aircore magnet. Aircore and
electromagnets can be turned on and off. They both depend on currents of
electricityto give them magneticcharacteristics.Not onlycantheybeturnedon
and off, but they can alsobe made much stronger than ordinary magnets. You
mightseeanelectromagnetatworkinajunkyardliftingoldcarsofftheground

ADirectCurrent
Therearetwomain typesof currentin ourworld.Oneis
direct current(DC)whichisa
constant stream of charges in one direction. The other is
alternating current
(AC)thatis a streamof charges thatreverses direction. Let's lookatDCpower
whichwasrefinedby
ThomasEdison
inthe1800s.

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

MovinginOneDirection
The current in DC circuits is moving in a constant direction. The
amount ofcurrent can change, but itwillalwaysflowfromonepointto
another. Before we move on, we need to explain that physicists, as
wellaselectricians,refertosomethingcalled
conventionalcurrent
.

Do you remember thatwe talked about physicists agreeingto always

use positive
charges to determine how
electric field lines would be
drawn? Following through on that agreement, they also agreed to explain
charge flow in terms of positive charges rather than electrons. So although
electrons would flow from negative to positive, by convention (agreement),
physicists refer to conventional current as a flow from high potential/voltage
(positive)to low potential/voltage(negative). Remindingyouthatpotentialislike
electrical height, this means that conventional current flows "downhill", which
makessense.

Electronsmovefromareaswherethereareexcessofnegativechargestoareas
wherethere are adeficiency(orpositivecharge).Electronsmovefrom""to"+",
but conventional currentis consideredto move intheotherdirection.Whenyou
set up a
circuit
, conventional current isconsidered to move from the"+" tothe
""side.

The idea about using positive charges in forming explanations comes from
Benjamin Franklin
. In Franklin's day, we didn't know about protons and
electrons. Franklin believedthatsomething moved throughelectricalwires,and
hecalledthesethings"charge".Heassumedtherewasonlyone kindofcharge,
andhe logically assumedthatchargewouldflowfromaspotthathadan excess
(extra), to a spot that had a deficiency (too few). He called the spot with an
excess "positive" and the spot with a deficiency "negative". So, for Franklin,
charge flowed from positive tonegative.Wesimply honor his achievements by
continuingwiththisidea.

Magnetism
Thegenerationof
electricpower
dependson
Magnetism
ortheprinciples
ofMagnets.MostofushaveseenaMagnet'sabilitytoattractcertain
metals,(i.e.Iron).Anymaterialthatcanattractmetalsiscalleda
"magnet."Theattractiveabilityofthesematerialsiscalled"magnetic
force."CertainspecimensofIronOrepossessthisattractingproperty
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

whentheyaretakenfromtheearth.Onenameforthismaterialis
"magnetite"or"lodestones."

Home

Magnets
Thebasicatomicstructureofa
Magnet
seemstoalignmostofthe
moleculesinthesamedirection.Itispossibletoseethisforcethrougha
simpleexperiment:

BarMagnetExperiment

Puta
BarMagnet
underasheetofglassandsprinkleIronFilingsonthe
glass.The"linesofforce"fromthe
Magnet
showupclearlyastheFilings
formapattern.Noticethattheattractiveforcesaregreatestatthetwo
"ends"ofthe
Magnet
,wherethemajorityofFilingsgather.Wecallthese
"ends""poles."
Thedensityofthepatternrepresentsthe
strength
ofthefield,whichisthe
magnitudeoftheforceexerteduponamagneticmaterialplacedatthe
pointinthefield.Theselinesarecalled"linesofmagneticflux."

MagnetPole
Experime
nt

Ifwesuspenda
Magnet
byastringfromitscentersothatitisfreeto
turn,itwillturnuntiltheAxislinesupwithitsPoles.ThePolewhich
points
north
iscalledthe"northpole"andtheotheriscalledthe"south
pole."Theseareusuallydesignatedbyan
N
and
S
markedonthe
Magnets
.

LawsofAttraction
Experiment

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

Let'saddanother
Magnet
toourexperiment,andweshallnoticeanother
keypropertyof
Magnets
.
The"like"Poleswill
repel
oneanotherwhilethe"unlike"Poleswill
attract
oneanother.Thisisaveryimportantprinciplesincethegeneration
of
electricpower
dependsonthese
LawsofAttraction
.

Almostallcommerciallyavailable
Magnets
areartificial.Theywere
manufacturedtobe
Magnets
byusingother
Magnets
tocreatethecorrect
molecularalignment.
Therearetwotypesof
Magnets
:"temporary"and"permanent."
TemporaryMagnets
arethosethatwillholdtheir
Magnetism
onlyas
longasthemagnetizingforceismaintained.Theseareusuallyfound
insideMotors.
PermanentMagnets
arethosethatwillholdtheir
Magnetism
afterthe
magnetizingforcehasbeenremovedandwillcontinuetobe
Magnets
for
aslongastheyarenotdisturbedbybeingjarredorheated.

Home

ElectromagneticFields
The flow of
electricity through a Conductor produces both an
electric and
magnetic field around the Conductor.
Collectively, these two fields are referred to as an
"electromagneticfield"(
EMF
).The strengthofthe
Electric
Field is measured in
volts permeter and varieswith the
amount of the
source voltage
. The higher the
source
voltage
, the higherthe strengthof the field.
Electric Field
strength
decreases
rapidlywithdistancefromthe"source."

ElectricField

ElectricFields
areproducedbothnaturallyandbyanyConductor
carrying
electricity
.Thestrengthoftheearth'snatural
ElectricField
varies,butonaverageisaboutonethousandthofa
voltpermeter
.
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

ElectricField
strengthtypicallyvariesfrom10to150
voltspermeter
underElectricDistributionLinesand5to100
voltspermeter
inside
homesandworkplaces.
Thestrengthofa
MagneticField
istypicallymeasuredinunitsof
"gauss"or"milligauss"andvarieswiththeamountof
current
moving
throughaConductor.Linesordevicesrequiringhighlevelsof
current
flow
producestronger
MagneticFields
thanthosewithlow
currentflow
.
Forexample,themeasureofa
MagneticField
directlyundera
high

voltage
TransmissionLineissomewherebetween20to650
milligauss
.The
MagneticField
measuredunderneatha
lower

power
DistributionLineis.5to30
milligauss
.
MagneticFields
producedbyElectricalCircuitsdropoffrapidlywith
distancefromthe"source."The
MagneticField
producedbya
Microwaveat1footis70to100
milligauss
whileatfivefeetaway,the
MagneticField
strengthdropstofive
milligauss
.
"Shielding"(walls,houses,trees,othervegetation,soil,andotherlarge
denseobjects)blocks
ElectricFields
.
MagneticFields
,ontheother
hand,passeasilythroughmostobjectsandareonlyblockedbystructures
containinglargeamountsofIronorIronalloymetals.

Home

Electromagnets
Electromagnets
playanessentialroleintheoperationofGenerators,
Motors,Transformers,andRelays.WrappinganinsulatedConductor
WirearoundanIronobject(i.e.largenail),andthenpassingan
electrical
current
throughtheWire,construct
Electromagnets
.Thestrengthofthe
Electromagnet
dependsonthenumberof"wraps",thesizeoftheWire,
andtheamountof
current
flowingthroughtheWire.

Home

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

MagneticInductionPrinciples
Michael Faraday discovered in 1831 that if a "coil" of
Copper Wire isrotatedin a
Magnetic Fieldin such away
as to cut across the "lines of magnetic force," an
electric
chargeis createdorinducedintheWires.Thisisthebasic
principle by which practically all our present day
electric
current
isgenerated.
Generatorsuse"magneticinduction"toproduce
electricalenergy
.
MovingWiresthrougha
MagneticField
generates
electricalcurrent
.
TheWire"loop"insidetheGeneratorismechanicallydrivenbysome
sourceof
rotary

motion
.The
sourceofpower
fortherotationmightbe
fossilfuels
,
fallingwater
,or
nuclearenergy
.AstheWire
loop
spins
insidethe
MagneticField
,an
electriccurrent
isproducedintheWire.
This
current
becomesthebasisforcommerciallyavailable
electrical
energy
.

Home
WhichofthefollowingisNOTapropertyofa
MagneticField
?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Strength
Weight
Direction
PolesofPolarity

ThehighestlevelofanElectromagneticField(
EMF
)isproducedby?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Toaster
AirConditioner
LowVoltageDistributionLine
HighVoltageTransmissionLine

WhichofthefollowingdoesNOThaveaneffectonthestrengthofaMagneticFieldfroman
Electromagnet?
A.
B.
C.
D.

NumberofWire"wraps"orCoils
SizeofWireusedfor"wraps"orCoils
Amountof
Current
flowingthrough"wraps"orCoils
TypeofInsulationmaterialusedonthe"wraps"orCoils
4

Magnetic Effect of Electric Current

WhichofthefollowingdescribestheprinciplebehindtheoperationofamoderndayElectrical
Generator?
A.
B.
C.
D.

MagneticInduction
FrictionResistance
ChemicalAction
StaticAction