Class – X [CBSE]

Magnetic Effects Of Electric Current [Activities]

Activity: 13.1
 Take a straight thick copper wire and place it
between points X and Y in an electric circuit as
shown in the figure. The wire XY is kept
perpendicular to the plane of the paper.
 Horizontally place a small compass near this
copper wire. See the position of the needle.
 Pass the current through the circuit by inserting
the key into the plug.
 Observe the change in the position of the
compass needle.
Observation:
There is deflection in the compass needle when an electric current is passed in the circuit.
Explanation:
 When an electric current is passed through the circuit, a magnetic field is produced around
the copper wire.
 When a magnet is placed in another magnetic field, it experiences a force (attraction or
repulsion).
 A compass needle is also a bar magnet, so when it is placed near a current carrying
conductor, it feels force and starts deflecting.
Conclusion:
We can conclude that a current-carrying wire produces a magnetic field that deflects the
magnetic compass needle.
Activity 13.2
 Fix a sheet of white paper on a drawing board using
some adhesive material.
 Place a bar magnet in the centre of it.
 Sprinkle some iron filings uniformly around the bar
magnet. A salt sprinkler may be used for this
purpose.
 Now tap the board gently.
 What do you observe?
Observation:
Iron filings get arranged in a pattern around the bar magnet.
Explanation:
 When iron filings are sprinkled around a bar magnet, the iron filings arrange in a pattern.
 Particles of iron filings become small magnets and they experience a force in a certain
direction due to the magnetic field produced by the bar magnets.
 These particles arrange in a curved path, this curved path shows magnetic force lines
around a bar magnet.
Conclusion:
There is a magnetic field around a magnet.
Activity 13.3
 Take a small compass and a bar magnet.
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 Class – X [CBSE]
Magnetic Effects Of Electric Current [Activities]
 Place the magnet on a sheet of white paper fixed on a drawing board, using some
adhesive material.
 Mark the boundary of the magnet.

 Place the compass near the north pole of the magnet. How does it behave? The south
pole of the needle points towards the north pole of the magnet. The north pole of a
compass is directed away from the north pole of the magnet.
 Mark the position of two ends of the needle.
 Now move the needle to a new position such that its south pole occupies the position
previously occupied by it north pole.
 In this way, proceed step by step will you reach the south pole of the magnet as shown in
the figure.
 Join the points marked on the paper by a smooth curve. The curve represents a field line.
 Repeat the above procedure and draw as many lines as you can. You will get a pattern
shown in the figure. These lines represent the magnetic field around the magnet. These
are known as magnetic field lines.
 Observe the deflection in the compass needle as you move it along a field line. The
deflection increases as the needle is moved towards the poles.
Observation:
The direction of the compass needle remains towards the south pole of the magnet.
Explanation:
 A bar magnet has two poles i.e. north pole and the south pole. The compass needle is
also a bar magnet so it has north and south poles.
 We know that similar poles of two different magnets repulse and different poles attract
each other.
 The magnetic field is a vector quantity so it possesses both magnitude and direction.
 When the compass is placed near the north pole of the magnet, its north pole aligns itself
with the south pole of the bar magnet. The direction in which the north pole of the
compass needles moves is taken as the direction of the magnetic field.
 At the end of this activity, we find many magnetic field lines around the bar magnet. These
magnetic field lines start from the north pole and end at the south pole but inside the
magnet, the direction of field lines from the south pole to the north pole.
 Magnetic field lines represent a magnetic field.

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 Class – X [CBSE]
Magnetic Effects Of Electric Current [Activities]
Conclusion:
The magnetic field is due to magnetic field lines and these liens have direction.
Activity 13.4
 Take a long straight copper wire, two or three cells of 1.5 v each, and a plug key. Connect
all of them in series as shown in the figure.
 Place the straight wire parallel to and over a compass needle.
 Plug the key in the circuit.
 Observe the direction of deflection of the north pole of the needle. If the current flow from
north to south as shown in figure (a), the north pole of the compass would move towards
the east.
 Replace the cell connections in the circuit as shown in figure (b). This would result in the
change of the direction of current through the copper wire, that is from the south to the
north.
 Observe the change in the direction of deflection of the needle. You will see that now the
needle moves in the opposite direction that is towards the west. It means that the direction
of the magnetic field produced by the electric current is also reversed.

Observation:
When the direction of current through a copper wire, the direction of deflection of the
compass needle also changes.
Explanation:
 When current passes through a conductor or wire, a magnetic field is produced around
the conductor.
 When current flows through the conductor from the north to south, the direction of
deflection of the needle of compass towards the east.
 When the direction of current is reversed (from south to north) in the conductor, the
direction of deflection of the compass needle also changes.
 The direction of the magnetic field produced around a straight conductor can be found
through the Right-Hand Thumb Rule.
Conclusion:
It is concluded that the direction of a magnetic field due to a current-carrying straight
conductor depends upon the direction of the current flowing through it. If the direction of current
in the conductor is reversed then the direction of a magnetic field is also reversed.

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 Class – X [CBSE]
Magnetic Effects Of Electric Current [Activities]
Note: We can use Right thumb rule to find the direction: Palm on the plane and movement of
fingers in the direction of the current gives thumb as North pole.
Activity 13.5
 Take a battery (12V) , a variable resistance or rheostat, an ammeter(0-5A), a plug key, and
a long straight thick copper wire.
 Insert the thick wire through the center, normal to the plane of rectangular cardboard. Take
care that the cardboard is fixed and does not slide up and down.
 Connect the copper wire vertically between points X and Y, as shown in the figure in series
with the battery, and a plug key.
 Sprinkle some iron filings uniformly on the cardboard. (You may use a salt sprinkler for this
purpose)
 Keep the variable of the rheostat at a fixed position and note the current through the
ammeter.
 Close the key so that a current flows through the wire. Ensure that the copper wire placed
between points X and Y remains vertically remains.
 Gently tap cardboard a few times. Observe the pattern of the iron filings. You would find
that the iron filings align themselves showing a pattern of concentric circles around the
copper wire.
 What do these concentric circles represent? They represent the magnetic field lines.
 How can the direction of the magnetic field lines be found? Place a compass at a point say
P over a circle. Observe the direction of the needle. The direction of the north pole of the
compass needle would give the direction of the field lines produced by the electric current
through the straight wire at point P. show the direction by an arrow.
 Does the direction of magnetic field lines get reversed if the direction of current through the
straight copper wire is reversed? Check it.

Observation:
Iron filings get arranged in concentric circles around the straight conductor.
Explanation:
 When we sprinkle iron filings on the cardboard around the straight copper wire, the iron
filings arrange themselves in concentric circles around the conductor.
 These concentric circles represent magnetic field lines. When we place a compass needle
on these concentric circles, it experiences a force and starts deflecting.

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 Class – X [CBSE]
Magnetic Effects Of Electric Current [Activities]
 So, the deflection of the compass needle shows that a magnetic field is produced around
a current carrying a straight conductor.
 When the direction of electric current in the conductor is reversed, the direction of
magnetic field lines also gets reversed.
 When eh current flows in a conductor in an upward direction then the direction of magnetic
field lines are anticlockwise and when the direction of current is in a downward direction
then the direction of magnetic field liens gets reversed(clockwise).
 The direction of the magnetic field can be found through the Right-Hand Thumb Rule.
Conclusion:
It is concluded through activity 13.5 that a magnetic field is produced around a current
carrying conductor. The direction of the magnetic field gets reversed when the direction of the
current is reversed.
Activity 13.6
 Take rectangular cardboard having two holes. Insert a circular coil having a large number
of turns through them, normal to the plane of the cardboard.
 Connect the ends of the coil in series with a battery, a key, and a rheostat, as shown in the
figure.
 Sprinkle iron filings uniformly on the cardboard.
 Plug the key.
 Tap the cardboard gently a few times, and note the pattern of the iron filings that emerges
on the cardboard.

Observation:
Iron filings arrange themselves in concentric circles around the coil.
Explanation:
 When we sprinkle iron filings on the cardboard around the circular coil fixed on the
cardboard, the iron filings arrange themselves in concentric circles around the coil.
 These concentric circles represent magnetic field lines.These lines of force are circular
near the wire but they become straight and parallel at the middle point
 When we place a compass needle on these concentric circles, it experiences a force and
starts deflecting.
 So, the deflection of the compass needle shows that a magnetic field is produced around
the coil.

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 Class – X [CBSE]
Magnetic Effects Of Electric Current [Activities]
 When the direction of electric current in the coil is reversed, the direction of magnetic field
lines also gets reversed.
 The strength of the magnetic field increases towards the centre and maximum at centre.
 The direction of the magnetic field can be found through the Right-Hand Thumb Rule.
Conclusion:
It is concluded that a magnetic field is produced around a coil. The magnitude of field lines
at centre is maximum.
Activity 13.7
 Take a small aluminium rod AB (of about 5 cm). using two connecting wires suspend it
horizontally from a stand as shown in the figure.
 Place a strong horseshoe magnet in such a way that the rod lies between the two poles
with the magnetic field directed upwards. For this put the north pole of the magnet vertically
below and the south pole vertically above the aluminium rod.
 Connect the aluminium rod in series with a battery, a key and a rheostat.
 Now pass a current through the aluminium rod from end B to end A.
 What do you observe? It is observed that the rod is displaced towards the left. You will
notice that the rod gets displaced.
 Reverse the direction of current flowing through displacement. It is now towards the right.
 Why does the rod get displaced?

Observation:
An aluminium rod placed in a magnetic field gets displaced upward(right) and
downward(left)when current is passed through it.
Explanation:
 An aluminium rod is placed between the poles of a horseshoe magnet, when an electric
current is passed through the rod, a magnetic field is produced around the rod.
 So, the rod experience a force in the magnetic field of the horseshoe magnet and moves
upward.
 When the direction of the current is reversed, the rod moves downward.
 The direction of force experienced by the current carrying conductor placed in a magnetic
field can be given by Fleming’s Left Hand Rule.
Conclusion:
It shows that a current carrying conductor experience a force in a magnetic field and
the direction of the force depends on the direction of (i) electric current and (ii) magnetic field.

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