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A student uses a plotting compass to investigate the magnetic field around a wire - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 5 - 2019 - Paper 1
Question 5
A student uses a plotting compass to investigate the magnetic field around a wire. Figure 10 shows the wire going straight through a card. Figure 10 shows the compa... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A student uses a plotting compass to investigate the magnetic field around a wire - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 5 - 2019 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which of these shows a possible direction of the compass needle when there is a current in the wire going from P to Q?
Answer
The correct answer is A. When a current flows through the wire, it generates a magnetic field around it. The compass needle will align itself with the magnetic field lines produced by the current. In this case, the only option that shows a needle direction tangential to the magnetic field lines created by a straight wire is option A.