A student wants to use the Right Hand Thumb Rule to determine the direction of the magnetic field around a current-carrying straight conductor. Which of the following steps is essential in applying the rule correctly?
Point the thumb in the direction of current
The Right Hand Thumb Rule: hold the current-carrying straight conductor in the right hand so that the thumb points in the direction of the current.
The direction in which the fingers curl around the conductor then gives the direction of the magnetic field lines.
So the thumb must be aligned with the current, not with the magnetic field, and the right hand (not the left) is used; the fingers wrap around the conductor, not along it.
Hence, the answer is Point the thumb in the direction of current.
Similar Questions
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Important Questions from Magnetism
- The magnetic field around a straight current-carrying conductor:
Magnetic field is a quantity that has___________________ .
- The right-hand thumb rule is used to find which of the following?
- How are the magnetic field lines arranged inside a current-carrying solenoid?
- What does it mean when magnetic field lines are drawn closer together in a diagram?
