Magnetic Field Right Hand Rules

Right Hand Rule #1

• Magnetic field around a single current-carrying wire

• Thumb: points in direction of current in

  wire

• Fingers: wrap around in the direction of the resulting magnetic field

Right Hand Rule #2

• Magnetic field inside a current-carrying coil (solenoid) or single loop of wire.

• Fingers: wrap in direction of current in

  coils

• Thumb: points in directions of field

  inside the coil (toward North pole)

• The field around a solenoid is similar to

  the field around a bar magnet

Right Hand Rule #3

• Force on a current-carrying wire inside an external magnetic field

• If a current is perpendicular to an external

  magnetic field (or some component is

  perpendicular to the field) there is a force

  on the wire that is perpendicular to both

  the current and the external field

• Fingers: external magnetic field

• Thumb: current in wire

• Palm: points in direction of resulting

  force on wire

Current out of page

Current into page

Field out of page

dots

Field into page

crosses