Fleming's Left Hand Rule Flashcards
All 4 cards in this deck
What are the steps to use Fleming's left-hand rule to find the direction of the force on a wire?
e.g. a wire carrying current between the poles of a magnet- Hold the first finger, second finger and thumb of the left hand mutually perpendicular.
- Point the first finger in the direction of the magnetic field (N to S) and the second finger in the direction of the current.
- The thumb then points in the direction of the force/motion.
True or false? Fleming's left-hand rule can be used when the current is parallel to the magnetic field.
False. It only applies when the force, current and magnetic field are mutually perpendicular.
State two practical ways of reversing the direction of the force on a current-carrying wire in a magnetic field.
Reverse the current (e.g. swap the battery connections round) or reverse the poles (e.g. turn the magnet round).
True or false? Reversing both the current and the magnetic field direction reverses the direction of the force.
False. The force acts in the same direction as before — the two reversals cancel out.