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A current is passed through a straight wire - OCR Gateway - GCSE Physics - Question 3 - 2021 - Paper 1
Question 3
A current is passed through a straight wire. Cardboard Direction of current A B C D Which diagram shows the magnetic field around the current-carrying wire? ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A current is passed through a straight wire - OCR Gateway - GCSE Physics - Question 3 - 2021 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which diagram shows the magnetic field around the current-carrying wire?
Answer
To determine which diagram shows the magnetic field around a current-carrying wire, we can use the right-hand grip rule. According to this rule, if you wrap your right hand around the wire with your thumb pointing in the direction of the current, your fingers will curl in the direction of the magnetic field lines.
In this case, we look for a diagram where the current is flowing vertically up, and the magnetic field lines are shown curling around the wire in a clockwise manner as they move away from the wire.
After analyzing the diagrams:
- Diagram A shows concentric circles in the wrong direction, indicating an incorrect magnetic field.
- Diagram B correctly depicts the magnetic field lines as they curl in the direction indicated by the right-hand grip rule.
- Diagrams C and D do not represent the correct orientation of the magnetic field lines around the wire.
Therefore, the correct answer is B.