The rule is used in many other fields, such as engineering, mathematics, and computer graphics. Understanding the right-hand rule is important for anyone who deals with vectors in a three-dimensional space. In the diagram above, the thumb aligns with the z axis, the index finger aligns with the x axis and the middle finger aligns with the y axis.

Multiplicity of rules in literature

When this occurs, the charged particle can maintain its straight line motion, even in the presence of a strong magnetic field. If a charged particle is moving at a certain speed and is under a magnetic field, the right-hand rule can be used to determine the force the particle will experience. In the situation shown below, we right hand grip rule have a current pointing downward or in the negative y direction and we have a magnetic field into the page or in the negative z direction. Instead of using the typical right hand rule, we can use easy cross product method below to find the direction of the force. Now we also know that a magnetic field can also be created by an electric current in a conductor. Ampère’s right hand grip rule helps us understand the current-carrying wire as the source of a magnetic field.

It should be kept in mind that this rule should only be performed with the right hand. Apart from determining the relationship between current and magnetic field it also shows that moving charges can create magnetic fields. When a conductor moves through a magnetic field, the magnetism right hand rule enables us to predict the induced direction of the current flow in the conductor. The interaction between the magnetic field and the moving conductor generates an electromotive force (EMF) that induces the current.

• There are many complex topics in the field of physics and right-hand grip rule is one among them.
• Here the cause is the current that flows through a straight conductor and the result is the creation of a magnetic field.
• The thumb points in the third orthogonal direction, namely in the direction of the magnetic force $F$ acting on the charge moving in magnetic field.
• In simple words, a current carrying conductor creates a magnetic field around it.

For example, the illustration on the right shows the situation for a hypothetical positive charge moving from plus to minus due to the current in the wire, and the force acts upwards. In the same wire, the electrons would flow from minus to plus, in the opposite direction to the conventional current. And because two of the variables were changed (polarity of charge and its direction of movement) then the force will still act upwards on such electrons. In fact, in a real wire only the negatively charged electrons move, as the positively charged protons remain bound to the atoms, which are stationary with respect to the body of the wire.

Fleming’s left hand rule for motors

This setup caused the generation of an electromotive force in the conductor which results in an induced flow of current through the moving conductor. Fleming’s right hand rule is for generators because the emf induced in a moving wire in a magnetic field can be used to produce electricity. Fleming’s right hand rule tells us the direction of the emf induced in a moving wire in a magnetic field. In vector calculus, it is necessary to relate a normal vector of a surface to the boundary curve of the surface. When an observer looks at the facing end of the solenoid, if current flows in the clockwise direction, the the facing end of the solenoid coil behaves like the South Pole “S” and the second end behaves like the North Pole “N”. If you hold the coil or a solenoid in the right hand so that the four fingers curl around the coil or solenoid, then the curly figures show the direction of the current and the thumb represents the North Pole of the coil.

Engineering Applications

You curl your fingers from velocity vector to magnetic field vector to find the direction of magnetic force perpendicular. Your thumb is pointing up, but since these are negative charges, its opposite and you flip your hand and you find that the direction of the magnetic force is actually pointing down. Therefore it makes sense that the electrons would accumulate at the bottom since its magnetic force is pushing them towards there. In more advanced applications, the Right Hand Grip Rule is used in conjunction with other principles to solve complex problems in electromagnetism.

When an electric current passes through a solenoid, it creates a magnetic field. To use the right hand grip rule in a solenoid problem, point your fingers in the direction of the conventional current and wrap your fingers as if they were around the solenoid. Your thumb will point in the direction of the magnetic field lines inside the solenoid. Note that the magnetic field lines are in the opposite direction outside the solenoid.

Each point in this field has a particular strength (field strength) and a definite direction. It is based on corkscrew which is a tool used to open/remove the cork from a bottles). Another misconception about the right-hand rule is that it gives the magnitude of the vector.

Difference between Fleming’s left and right-hand rule

One common misconception about the right-hand rule is that it only applies to right-handed individuals. The rule can be applied using the left hand by reversing the direction of the vectors. Another misconception is that the rule only works for two vectors that are perpendicular to each other. The rule can be extended to three or more vectors by using the right-hand rule for each pair of vectors. All these rules are equivalent, because the direction of the physical magnetic force (Lorentz force) is always the same. In the diagram above, B indicates the magnetic field, I indicates the induced current and V indicates the movement of the conductor in the magnetic field.

• At the same time, when looking from the end marked with “S”, the current appears to flow clockwise.
• In an ordinary conductor if some voltage is applied across it the electrons will flow in the opposite direction, but it is the conventional current (flowing from plus to minus) which is taken into account here.
• This rotational motion is the basis of electric motors used in various appliances and industrial machinery.
• The right-hand grip rule is also known as corkscrew-rule and it was named after the French physicist and mathematician Andre-Marie Ampere.
• In particle accelerators, charged particles experience magnetic forces as they move through magnetic fields.

Just like a bar magnet, the current-carrying solenoid has a polarity that tells us which end is north and which end is south. The magnetism hand rules are helpful for working out the directions and polarities of currents and magnetic fields. A Danish physicist Hans Christian Orsted in 1820 discovered the relation between electricity and magnetism which states that “when current flows in a straight conductor, a magnetic field is produced in it.

The thumb points towards the magnetic field line when the fingers are curled up around the wire in the direction of the flow of current. The magnetism right-hand rule, also known as the right-hand grip rule, is a powerful tool used to determine the direction of magnetic fields around a current-carrying conductor. By applying this rule, one can quickly grasp the complex interactions between magnetic fields and electric currents. If we consider current flow as the movement of positive charge carriers (conventional current) in the above image, we notice that the conventional current is moving up the page.

Since a conventional current is composed of positive charges, then the same current-carrying wire can also be described as having a current with negative charge carriers moving down the page. Although these currents are moving in opposite directions, a single magnetic force is observed acting on the wire. Therefore, the force occurs in the same direction whether we consider the flow of positive or negative charge carriers in the above image. Applying the right hand rule to the direction of the conventional current indicates the direction of the magnetic force to be pointed right.

As the magnetic north pole gets closer to the loop, it causes the existing magnetic field to increase. Since the magnetic field is increasing, the induced current and resulting induced magnetic field will oppose the original magnetic field by reducing it. This means that the primary and secondary magnetic fields will occur in opposite directions. When the existing magnetic field is decreasing, the induced current and resulting induced magnetic field will oppose the original, decreasing magnetic field by reinforcing it.