http://www.ck12.org Chapter 18. Magnetism
FIGURE 18.3
The Direction of the Magnetic Field for a Current-Carrying Wire
The direction of the magnetic field around a wire can be found using theright-hand rule. Point the thumb of the
right hand in the direction of the (conventional) current and then curl the fingers into a fist. The fingers curl in the
direction of the magnetic field around the wire. Figure18.4 shows the magnetic field represented as a series of
circles around the wire. If the current were in the opposite direction, the field would circle around the wire in the
opposite direction.
FIGURE 18.4
The direction of the magnetic field around
a wire.http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/CreationOfAMagneticFieldByAnElectricCurrent/