CHAPTER-13

MAGNETIC EFFECTS OF ELECTRIC CURRENT

Magnets and magnetism

 Magnets have been source of curiosity for ages. You can find magnets in places like laboratories, in
toys, magnetic stickers that stick in refrigerator etc.
 So, what is a magnet? The substances which have the property of attracting small pieces of iron,
nickel and cobalt etc. are called magnets and this property of attraction is called magnetism.
 Most of the metals like copper, gold, silver aluminium etc. are not attracted to magnets.
 Magnets are found naturally in certain natural rocks and can also be made artificially by certain
methods.
 Artificially made permanent magnets are made in various shapes like bar, rod, disk, ring etc.
 In a bar, rod and horse shoe magnets north and south poles are dictated by letters N and S or North
Pole is indicated by a dot.
 In disk and ring magnets one face is North Pole and another face is South Pole.
 Permanent magnets are commonly used as a direction finding compass.
What are magnetic poles?
Magnetic poles refer to the two areas of a magnet where the magnetic effects are the strongest. The poles
are generally termed as the north and south poles.

North Pole: The pole of a freely suspended magnet that points geographical north of earth is called north
pole.
South Pole: The pole of a freely suspended magnet that points geographical south of earth is called south
pole.

Properties of magnet:
 Attracts objects of iron, cobalt and nickel.
 Force of attraction of a magnet is greater at its poles then in the middle.
 Like poles of magnets repel each other while unlike poles of magnets attract each other.
 A free suspended magnet always point towards north and south direction.
 The pole of a magnet which points toward north direction is called North Pole or north seeking.
 The pole of a magnet which points toward south direction is called South Pole or south seeking.

Magnetic Field
The space around a magnet in which the force of attraction and repulsion due to the magnet can be
detected is called the magnetic field.
 When we bring two magnets near each either they attract each other or they repel each other.
 We can explain this force of attraction and repulsion between two magnets using the concept
of Magnetic Field.
 Magnets produces magnetic field in the space around it, which exerts force on any other magnet
placed in this region. So it is the region around magnet within which its influence can be
experienced.
IMPORTANT NOTE:- Each point in the field of any magnet has a particular strength and magnetic field at
each point has definite direction.

How to find the direction of the magnetic field due to magnet at a point near it?
The direction of the magnetic field due to a magnet at a point near it can be found by placing a magnetic
compass at that point. The compass needle gets deflected when it is placed near the magnet.

More about compass

 The simplest compass is a magnetized metal needle mounted in such a way that it can spin
freely.
 Needle of a compass is a small bar magnet. This is the reason it gets deflected when we
place it in the field of other magnet.
 Compass needles are lightweight because earth has very week magnetic field. To show up
the effect of that tiny magnetic field it should have even less effect due to gravity.
 Compass needles are mounted on frictionless bearings because in this case there would be
less frictional resistance for the magnetic force to overcome.
 The ends of a compass needle points approximately in North and south directions.
About earth’s magnetism
 The earth has a magnetic field which we call as the earth’s magnetic field.
 The magnetic field is tilted slightly from the Earth’s axis.
 The core of earth is filled with molten iron (Fe) which give Earth its very own magnetic field.
 This large magnetic field protects the Earth from space radiation and particles such as the solar
wind.
 The region surrounding Earth where its magnetic field is located is termed as the Magnetosphere.
 Earth has a magnetic field that has a shape similar to that of a large bar magnet.
 To the north is the magnetic north pole, which is really the south pole of Earth’s bar magnet. (It is
because this pole attracts the north pole of the compass magnet)

Magnetic Field Lines

 The imaginary curved lines used to represent the magnetic field around a magnet are called
the magnetic field lines.

Ways of obtaining magnetic field lines around a bar magnet

(A) Iron filings demonstration
Procedure:
1. Fix a sheet of white paper on a drawing board using some adhesive material.
2. Place
3. a bar magnet in the centre of it.
4. Sprinkle some iron filings uniformly around the bar magnet (Fig. 2). A salt-sprinkler may be
used for this purpose.
5. Now tap the board gently.
6. Iron filings near the bar magnet align themselves along the field lines.

Iron filings near the bar magnet align themselves along the field lines.This happens because the magnet
exerts its influence in the region surrounding it. Therefore the iron filings experience a force. The
force thus exerted makes iron filings to arrange in a pattern. The lines along which the iron filings
align themselves represent magnetic field lines.
(B) Demonstration using magnetic compass
Procedure:
1. Take a small compass and a bar magnet.
2. Place the magnet on a sheet of white paper fixed on a drawing board, using some adhesive
material.
3. Mark the boundary of the magnet.
4. Place the compass near the north pole of the magnet.
5. Here the south pole of the needle points towards the north pole of the magnet. The north
pole of the compass is directed away from the north pole of the magnet.
6. Mark the position of two ends of the needle.
7. Now move the needle to a new position such that its south pole occupies the position
previously occupied by its north pole.
8. In this way, proceed step by step till you reach the south pole of the magnet as shown
below.

Drawing a magnetic field line with the help of a compass needle.

9. Join the points marked on the paper by a smooth curve. This curve represents a field line.
10. Repeat the above procedure and draw as many lines as possible. These lines represent the
magnetic field around the magnet. These are known as magnetic field lines.

11. Observe the deflection in the compass needle as we move it along a field line. The
deflection increases as the needle is moved towards the poles.

Observations:
1. Direction in which compass needle points is the direction of the magnetic field.
2. The strength of the magnetic field is inversely proportional to the distance between the field lines.
3. Magnetic field lines never cross each other. It is unique at every point in space.
4. Magnetic field lines begin at the north pole of a magnet and terminate on the South Pole.

Properties of magnetic field lines

1. All field lines are closed curves.
2. Outside the magnet field lines emerge from North Pole and merge at South Pole.
3. Inside a magnet, the direction of field lines is from South Pole to its north pole.
4. Field lines never intersect each other.
5. Field lines are closed together near the poles and spread out away from them.
6. The field is stronger where the field lines are more closely spaced. So, the field is stronger near the
poles then at other points.
Why do field lines never intersect each other?
If two lines were to intersect each other, then a compass needle placed at the point of interaction would
point in two different directions which is not possible.
Magnetic Effect of Current
Electricity and Magnetism are related phenomenon. When an electric current is passed through metallic
conductor, it generates a magnetic field around it. This is called magnetic effect of electric current.

An electric current carrying wire behaves like a magnet:-

So, we already know that an electric current-carrying wire behaves like a magnet. Let us now
describe an experiment that shows the presence of magnetic field near a current carrying wire.
ACTIVITY showing presence of magnetic field near current carrying wire:-

 This experiment is also called Oersted Experiment.

 First take a straight thick copper wire and place it between the points X and Y in an electric
circuit, as shown below

 Compass needle is deflected when it is placed near a current carrying wire

 Now we place a small compass near to this copper wire.
 After placing the needle note the position of its needle.
 Now insert the key into the plug to close the circuit and pass the current through the circuit.
 Since the current is flowing in the circuit now observe the change in the position of the
compass needle.
In the above activity we observed that the needle of the compass gets deflected when it is placed
near the current carrying conductor. The result of this activity implies that current flowing through
copper wire is producing a magnetic effect.

MAGNETIC FIELD DUE TO A CURRENT THROUGH A STRAIGHTCONDUCTOR

The magnetic field lines around a straight conductor carrying current are concentric
circles whose centres lies on the wire.
The magnitude of magnetic field produced by a straight current carrying wire at a
point-
 directly proportional to current passing in the wire.
 inversely proportional to the distance of that point from the wire.
Magnetic Field direction can be find using Right Hand Thumb Rule
RIGHT-HAND THUMB RULE

When a current-carrying straight conductor is holding in right hand such that the
thumb points towards the direction of current. Then fingers will wrap around the
conductor in the direction of the field lines of the magnetic field, as shown in below
figure. This is known as the right-hand thumb rule

MAGNETIC FIELD DUE TO A CURRENT THROUGH A CIRCULAR LOOP

The magnetic field lines are circular near the current carrying loop. As we move
away, the concentric circles becomes bigger and bigger. At the centre, the lines are
straight.
At the centre, all the magnetic field lines are in the same direction due to which the
strength of magnetic field increase.
The magnetic of magnetic field produced by a current carrying circular loop at its
centre is
 directly
proportional to the current passing
 inversely
proportional to the radius of the
circular loop
The strength of
magnetic field produced by a circular coil carrying current is directly proportional to
both number of turns(n) and current(I) but inversely proportional to its radius(r).

MAGNETIC FIELD DUE TO A CURRENT IN A SOLENOID

The insulated copper wire wound on a cylindrical tube such that its length is greater
than its diameter is called a solenoid. The solenoid is from greek word for channel.
 The solenoid is a long coil containing a large number of close turns of insulated
copper wire.
 The magnetic field produced by a current carrying solenoid is similar to the
magnetic field produced by a bar magnet.
 The current in each turn of a current carrying solenoid flows in the same
direction due to which the magnetic field produced by each turn of the solenoid
ads up, giving a strong magnetic field inside the solenoid.

The strong magnetic field produced inside a current-carrying solenoid can be used to
magnetise a piece of magnetic material like soft iron, when placed inside the solenoid.
The magnet thus formed is called an electromagnet.
So, a solenoid is used for making electromagnets.
The strength of magnetic field produced by a carrying current solenoid depends on
 number of turns(n)
 strength of current(I)
 nature of core material used in solenoid – use of soft iron as core in a
solenoid produces the strongest magnetism.
ELECTROMAGNETS AND PERMANENT MAGNETS
An electromagnet is a temporary strong magnet and is just a solenoid
with its windingon soft iron core.
A permanent magnet is made from steel. As steel has more
retentivity than iron, it does not lose its magnetism easily.
Difference between Electromagnet and permanent magnet
Electromagnet Permanent magnet
1. An electromagnet is a temporary 1. A permanent magnet cannot be
magnet as it can readily demagnetized readily demagnetized.
by stopping the current through the
solenoid.
2. Strength can be changed. 2. Strength cannot be changed.
3. It produces very strong magnetic 3. It produces weal forces of
forces. attraction.
4. Polarity can be changed by changing 4. Polarity is fixed and cannot be
the direction of the current. changed.

Q. Why soft iron is used for making the core of an electromagnet?

Soft iron is used for making the core of an electromagnet because soft
iron loses all ofits magnetism when current in the coil is switched off.

Q. Why steel is not used for making the core of an electromagnet?

Steel is not used for making the core of an electromagnet because
steel does not losesall of its magnetism when current in the coil is
switched off.
FORCE ON A CURRENT-CARRYING CONDUCTOR IN A MAGNETICFIELD
When a current carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field it
experiences a force, except when it is placed parallel to the magnetic
field.
The force acting on a current carrying conductor in a magnetic field
is due to interaction between:
1. Magnetic force due to current-carrying conductor and
2. External magnetic field in which the conductor is placed.
In the above figure, a current-carrying rod, AB, experiences a force
perpendicular to its length and the magnetic field.
The displacement of the rod in the above activity suggests that a force
is exerted on the current-carrying aluminium rod when it is placed in a
magnetic field. It also suggests that the direction of force is also
reversed when the direction of current through the conductor is
reversed. Now change the direction of field to vertically downwards
by interchanging the two poles of the magnet. It is once again
observed that the direction of force acting on the current-carrying rod
gets reversed. It shows that the direction of the force on the conductor
depends upon the direction of current and the direction of the
magnetic field. We considered the direction of the current and that of
the magnetic field perpendicular to each other and found that the force
is perpendicular to both of them.

FLEMING’S LEFT HAND RULE

Fleming's left hand rule (for electric motors) shows the direction of
the thrust on a conductor carrying a current in a magnetic field. The
left hand is held with the thumb, index finger and middle finger
mutually at right angles.
The First finger represents the direction of the magnetic Field. (north to south)
The Second finger represents the direction of the Current (the
direction of the current is the direction of conventional current; from
positive to negative).
The Thumb represents the direction of the Thrust or resultant Motion.